Utility customers across the country are facing higher electricity bills as power companies seek large rate increases and artificial intelligence data centers strain existing grids.

According to KTLA consumer reporter David Lazarus, rate requests and approvals totaled $34 billion in the first three quarters of 2025. That's more than double the $16 billion sought over the same period last year, according to a report from the nonprofit Power Lines.

Residential electricity prices rose 11% from January to August, the federal government says, a pace nearly four times the rate of inflation.

“The increases are due in part to the usual things: improving our aging infrastructure, and that’s understandable,” Lazarus said. “But AI is also playing a significant role here.”

Lazarus noted that fast-

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