Electricity prices are climbing more than twice as fast as inflation

[babylonsister]

Electricity prices are climbing more than twice as fast as inflation
August 16, 20255:00 AM ET
Scott Horsley
4-Minute Listen
Ken Thomas and his wife Delilah have invested in energy-saving windows and insulation for their Boca Raton, Fla. home. But in the dog days of summer, their electric bill can still top $400 a month.



Ken Thomas woke up this past Wednesday to find the power had gone out at his house in Boca Raton. A text message from his utility said a piece of equipment had failed at 2 a.m. By the time a repair crew showed up eight hours later, the hot, sticky Florida summer was already taking a toll.

"You just don't realize how important your power is until you don't have it," says Thomas, a retired air traffic controller. "In Florida's heat, you just can't live without air conditioning. And this time of year particularly."

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Across the country, electricity prices have jumped more than twice as fast as the overall cost of living in the last year. That's especially painful during the dog days of summer, when air conditioners are working overtime.

In Pembroke Pines, Fla., Al Salvi's power bill can reach $500 a month.

"There's a lot of seniors down here that are living check to check. They can barely afford prescriptions such as myself," says Salvi, who's 63 and uses a wheelchair. "Now we got to decide whether we're going to pay the electric bill or are we going to buy medication. And it's not fair to us. You're squeezing us between a rock and a hard place."

more...

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-s1-5502671/electricity-bill-high-inflation-ai

[surfered]

1. AI, data centers, and Bitcoin mining use a lot of electricity and GOP policies discourage renewables

[dalton99a]

2. "We're going to get your energy prices down. We're going to get your energy prices down by 50%."

- Donald Trump in Wilkes-Barre, PA, August 17, 2024

[Emile]

9. Blowing the tops off mountains to get the coal

is not working.

[hatrack]

3. "But But But we'll lose the AI race with JAINAH!!!"

[Kid Berwyn]

4. Next comes water.

Always the answer is more oil.

[dalton99a]

5. Eventually there will be a utility charge for breathing air

[womanofthehills]

6. If you live in a sunny place like NM

A few solar panels can take your bill down. I’ve had solar panels for 25 yrs. It’s nice to watch your meter spin backwards. I even have a solar pump on my well

My summer elec bill has been $16 a month (fee even if you use no elec) - Because it’s dry here, we can use swamp coolers which barely take any electricity. .

[Thunderbeast]

8. The myth about solar requiring a sunny climate....

I live in notoriously cloudy western Oregon. My rooftop solar, installed in a less than optimal location with trees and a volcano shading my west-facing roof, produce 103% of my electric needs (including 2 PHEV vehicles). Furnace is only gas appliance.

You DO NOT need full sun to provide electric power to your home. Fossil fuel advocates propagate the lie that solar is practical only in limited climates. It is just not true!

[allegorical oracle]

7. Decided to use electric fans, not air-conditioning this summer in my Fla home. First time since

I was a kid growing up here. It's doable as long as you drink lots of liquids. I fortify with a small amount of electrolyte drinks mixed with water. My Trumpster neighbors, who tend to keep their homes 65 degrees, are howling like crazy at their $400 bills this month (versus my $70 bill). Hope they make the connection between djt and their electric bills.

Just came from the store this a.m. -- all prices up -- and gas, which was $3.29/gal earlier this week, is $3.79/gal today -- almost $4/gal. That will further royally piss off the drumpsters. Hope djt goes on TV soon to brag about "no inflation."

[MichMan]

10. Good thing we didn't have widespread EV adoption like many people were wanting

Image millions of more people charging EV day and night

[allegorical oracle]

11. There are literally hundreds of acres of solar farms springing up in my rural area. As much

as I support going EV, etc., it's a bit concerning. To construct the farms, massive old-growth forests are being harvested. The trees' roots help hold water while the branches provide habitat for owls, eagles and other wildlife. Recent reports mention that the bat population is being adversely affected as the trees disappear. Bats consume thousands of insects every night, especially mosquitoes, that spread diseases to livestock and people. Hope we can monitor the ecosystems and maintain a balance.