Ford

Making electricity has gotten 35% cheaper since 2005. But households paid 33% more per kWh in 2025 than in 2019. The popular scapegoat is data centers. But they didn’t build the aging lines on your street, they didn't set utility rates, and they didn’t write the rules that leave new power plants waiting 5+ years to connect. Your electric bill works like a receipt. It adds up decades of choices about what gets built, what gets fixed, and who pays. States make many of those choices, and there are 3 areas where they can bring bills down: 1️⃣ Start with new demand. A big new customer can actually lower bills by spreading the grid’s fixed costs around. This will be happening in Georgia, where regulators recently approved large-load service that will offset rate increases for a typical household by at least $15 a month starting in 2029. 2️⃣ Then there’s the grid we’ve already paid for. Before families pay for new poles and wires, states should make sure they’re getting everything they can out of the existing grid. That starts with measuring how much of it gets used, then putting proven tools to work wherever there’s room to do more. 3️⃣ And we have to build faster. Layers and layers of red tape cause years-long delays that jack up the cost of energy projects, and customers end up paying for it. Its estimated congestion costs topped $17B in 2025. Its long past time to cut the red tape and stop playing energy politics. America has more ways to make and manage power than ever, from conventional energy sources, to renewables, advanced nuclear and geothermal to batteries and virtual power plants. States should embrace innovation and clear the way for every one of them. Learn more from our founder @matt_hargarten in his latest piece on Substack. Link below.