Electricity prices for US households have climbed since the start of 2025, with the average residential rate reaching 19.6 US cents per kilowatt-hour in August 2026, according to figures supplied with the release.
The average price was 11 per cent higher than in January 2025, while prices across the first eight months of 2026 were 40 per cent above the same period in 2019.
Maine recorded the largest increase over that period, at 90 per cent, followed by California and New York, where residential electricity prices rose by nearly 70 per cent.
The increases come as electricity demand grows alongside the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and the data centres needed to support it. These facilities consume large amounts of power to run computing equipment and cooling systems, adding pressure to electricity networks in some areas.
A data centre with a capacity of one gigawatt can consume as much electricity as 800,000 homes, according to the figures provided. The comparison illustrates the scale of energy demand associated with large computing facilities, although actual consumption varies with operating conditions and utilisation.
Wholesale electricity prices in areas with substantial data centre activity reportedly rose by as much as 267 per cent between 2020 and 2025.
However, the figures provided do not establish that data centres are solely responsible for rising household bills. Electricity prices can also be affected by fuel costs, generation capacity, transmission and distribution expenses, weather conditions and regulatory decisions. The extent to which increased data centre demand contributes to residential price rises varies by region.
The growth of AI is prompting closer attention to the energy requirements of digital infrastructure, including how new data centres are connected to power networks and how the costs of expanding electricity supply are shared.
For households, the key question is how utilities and policymakers will meet rising demand while maintaining reliable supply and keeping electricity affordable.
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