At a media briefing hosted by Consumers for a Better Grid on October 22, experts from the Citizens Utility Board of Illinois and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) provided context for what is at stake for consumers and grid reliability if skyrocketing data center energy demand isn’t addressed, and provided potential solutions that put consumers first.

There’s been a lot of buzz about the impact of data centers on electricity demand–CUB Illinois Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz recently spoke at length about it on a Chicago radio station. This Q&A attempts to get through the hype and give Illinois consumers some facts. 

You may have seen a flurry of news about electric bill increases due to something called a “capacity auction.” Or worse, you opened your June ComEd bill and saw a sharp uptick. You can learn more about PJM’s capacity market and this year’s price spike in our previous blog, and by visiting our Help Center. 

Sadly, there’s more bad news. Prices are going up yet again–next June. Let’s break it down. 

Mid-Atlantic grid operator PJM is under intense political pressure to solve its interconnection backlog and other problems. But experts warn there are no easy fixes.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If your electricity bill feels unusually steep this summer, rising temperatures aren’t the only reason.

A record-breaking auction in the wholesale electricity market last year set higher prices for future supply. Ohioans saw increases that averaged 10%-15%, according to the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council.