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Xipe Totec

(44,391 posts)
Sun Aug 17, 2025, 08:05 PM Aug 17

The Real Reason Your Power Bill Doubled (It's Not Inflation)

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Editorials & Other Articles forum).



It's data centers.
7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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msongs

(72,353 posts)
1. hint? summary? nt
Sun Aug 17, 2025, 08:47 PM
Aug 17

BWdem4life

(2,714 posts)
2. I can summarize in 2 words without watching the video
Sun Aug 17, 2025, 09:14 PM
Aug 17

Corporate greed.

SharonAnn

(14,106 posts)
3. Data centers use lots more power. They're sending the bill for it to you.
Sun Aug 17, 2025, 09:58 PM
Aug 17

Oh, and they're getting enormous tax breaks, so you're getting fewer services for the taxes you pay.

Gaugamela

(2,993 posts)
4. Excellent video. A lot of information packed in there. In terms of corruption,
Sun Aug 17, 2025, 10:41 PM
Aug 17

Trump’s a drop in the bucket.

progree

(12,296 posts)
5. Electricity prices are climbing more than twice as fast as inflation, NPR, 8/16/25
Mon Aug 18, 2025, 02:45 AM
Aug 18

Last edited Mon Aug 18, 2025, 09:31 AM - Edit history (1)

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/08/16/npr-electricity-bill-high-inflation-ai
The Energy Department says the cost of gas used to generate power jumped more than 40% in the first half of this year compared to 2024. Another 17% increase is expected next year. . . . More than 40% of electricity is generated using natural gas.

. . . The federal government currently spends about $4 billion a year to help low-income families with energy bills. But Wolfe says that's not enough to cover rising cooling costs in the summer. And President Trump's proposed budget would end the assistance altogether.

Example of $400/mo and $500/mo bills in the summer in Florida (in the video in the OP they talk about $700, $800/mo)

It also talks about AI data centers but doesn't quantify their impact

progree

(12,296 posts)
6. One data center in Wyoming to use 7.2 times as much electricity as all the state's residences combined
Mon Aug 18, 2025, 09:57 AM
Aug 18

and it is expandable to 40 times that.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127184317#post3

=================================================
We've been used to almost flat electricity growth in the U.S. for 15 years, which is great for electricity costs. Electricity growth is very expensive as it causes new electric power plants to have to be built, and those are very expensive relative to what came before.

EIA.gov on U.S. electricity growth rate: from 2005 to 2020 it grew just 0.1%/year on average.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65264
From 1990 to 2005: 2.0%/year
From 2020-2026: 1.7%/yr (projection)

=========================================

And U.S. electricity generation was flat for so long, e.g. 2021 was about the same as 2007 (14 years). Also how a small change in average temperature results in an exponential increase in hot and extremely hot days. Also air conditioning electricity consumption grows with the SQUARE of the temperature difference https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143462957#post2

=====================================

As for SOME of what is in the OP's video

A lot of local governments give big tax breaks to data centers, extolling all the number of jobs it will create. But by far most of these jobs are remote.

How local governments and the industry hide what the projects are for, e.g. "Project Blue" at around 7:50 turns out to be an Amazon data center project

A lot are being built in relatively arid areas (because land is cheap there). They have very heavy water consumption for cooling.

Corruption of state and local officials at about 10:00 who approve these projects and the tax breaks and ballyhoo the jobs jobs jobs that supposedly justifies the tax breaks

And as far as jobs jobs jobs - the AI is expected to replace millions of jobs - witness the only 35,000/month average job growth over the last 3 months in the latest jobs report (that got Erika McEntarfer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, fired by Tump). That's not all or mostly due to AI of course, but it contributes and this may become more the norm.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143505265



12:00 - natural gas powering some without the permitting projects (yes, greenhouse gases)



Omaha Steve

(106,967 posts)
7. AFTER a review by forum hosts LOCKING
Mon Aug 18, 2025, 12:50 PM
Aug 18

Post excerpts from articles, blogs, and other recently-published material related to politics, issues, and current events.

Posting just a video is not published material.

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