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Electric bills are climbing almost everywhereand in some states, the increases have been staggering. If you live in the Bay Area, your average utility bill from PG&E went up nearly 70% over the last five years. Between 2024 and 2025, alone, bills grew by double digits everywhere from Utah to Massachusetts to Tennessee. The surge in AI data centers often gets the headlines as the main cause of the increase, but they’re just one of many factors. Heres whats driving soaring utility bills, and what could help fix it. Its not necessarily data centersyet In a Berkeley National Lab report published last year that looked at trends in electric rates from 2019 to 2024, researchers found that states that had the biggest growth in electricity demandfrom customers like data centersactually saw costs go down. Thats because the electricity market isnt just about supply and demand; its expensive to maintain equipment, and if costs can be spread out among more customers, everyone pays less. But thats starting to change as data centers use up the remaining room on the grid and start to need new power plants and other infrastructure. We are seeing utilities run out of that spare capacity, and new investments will need to be made to accommodate for the growth, says Ryan Hledik, a principal at the economics consultancy Brattle Group, which worked on the Berkeley Lab report. An analysis from Bloomberg News with more recent data found a strong correlation between higher energy costs and locations near data centers, with prices in some areas as much as 267% higher than they were five years ago. Still, new data centers dont automatically have to mean higher utility bills for households. A lot of this depends on what rates utilities are charging to those new data center customers, says Hledik. If the utility is charging them a rate that covers all of those incremental costs that theyre imposing on the system, then that protects other customers from rate increases. Microsoft recently announced that it plans to voluntarily cover the cost of any grid infrastructure thats needed when it adds a data center. Several states are considering policies that would require all data centers to pay their own way; some states, like Oregon, have already passed laws. Other new policies under consideration would require data centers to cut their power use when the grid is stressed. “They can connect to the grid, but they’re going to be interruptible,” says Jackson Morris, director for the state power sector at the nonprofit NRDC. “So they’re going to be the ones that get shut off first, not Grandma’s house, and not the hospitals.” If data centers can avoid creating new peaks, they can also help avoid the need to build as much expensive new infrastructure. The aging grid needs updates Data centers arent the only problem. The Berkeley Lab report pointed to outdated infrastructure as a widespread issue. Basically, our entire grid is getting older, says Hledik. Portions of the distribution system are 80 years old at this point. These parts of the grid need to be replaced just to continue to maintain the same level of reliability that we have. At the same time, utilities are struggling to deal with more disasters, from hurricanes to wildfires. As we’ve got more extreme storms, you’ve got more grid infrastructure that’s knocked out of service that has to be replaced. And then you have to harden existing infrastructure, too, says Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program at the nonprofit Public Citizen. In California, for example, 40% of the increase in energy bills over the past five years came from wildfire-related costs. Upgrades have been delayed in the past. Now, thanks to inflation, supply chain issues that started in the pandemic, and Trumps tariffs on critical materials like steel, equipment like poles, wires, and towers is expensive to replace. And it’s customers who are footing the bill. One thing that could help somewhat: pushing back on the rate of return that utilities earn as they build new infrastructure. Regulators let utilities bill customers for capital costs, but then they’re also allowed to make a profit for their investors. In California, that rate of return was recently dialed backjust by a tiny amount, 0.3%but that’s going to help slightly shrink home energy costs. We need more power The electric grid needs more access to power not just for data centers and other large customers, but as households begin to shift to heat pumps, induction stoves, and electric cars. Unfortunately, the process of adding power has been painfully slow; it can take five years for a new power plant to get connected to the grid. “When electricity demand is relatively flat as it has been for quite some time in this country, you can paper over the cracks pretty well,” says NRDC’s Morris. “You can afford to have a broken [interconnection] queue. It’s not ideal, but you can kind of limp along. What’s happening now is in the face of exploding load growth on the system, all those cracks are turning into canyons. And all the things that were broken about the system are now coming into stark relief.” Helping speed up the process to get permits would obviously help. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has been actively slowing down the process to build new wind or solar plants. “At the very time when you are seeing exploding load growth, [Republicans] just tried to kneecap the cheapest, quickest technologies to get on the grid to meet that demand, which is solar and battery storage,” Morris says. (New gas plants face long delays, with 5-7 year waits to get some parts; newer technologies like small modular reactors still aren’t ready for deployment.) A new analysis from the American Clean Power Association found that in the PJM grid, a region that sprawls from Illinois to Virginia, households could spend as much as an extra $8,500 over the next decadeand have less reliable access to electricityif new renewable power plants don’t keep growing. The Berkeley Lab report notes that states that have access to abundant solar and wind generally didn’t see their electric bills rise as quickly as in other areas. Onthe other hand, state with policies that require them to buy a certain amount of renewableseven at times when the price is higherdid see a slight increase in costs. “That’s to be expectedI think we’re developing those policies realizing that there’s a cost associated with dealing with climate change,” Hledik says. As large-scale infrastructure struggles, there are also other ways to add power more quickly. A technology called dynamic line rating, for example, can make better use of existing power lines, unlocking 40% more capacity from transmission lines. Heimdall Power, a Norwegian company that has been quickly expanding in the U.S., says that theres a huge opportunity for more deployment of its sensors and other technology, which make it safe to let more power flow through existing infrastructure. By making better use of transmission lines, utilities could avoid building as many power plants. Other companies are finding creative ways to build virtual power plants. Base Power, a Texas startup that recently raised $1 billion, owns a fleet of batteries that it installs at homes. Customers can save on electric bills by using the batteries when demand peaks; the system also helps utilities cut costs by easing strain on the grid. Similarly, companies like Renew Home use smart thermostats and other devices to let customers automatically tweak energy use to save money, while helping add new capacity to the grid. It’s far cheaper and faster to promote energy efficiency or shift when customers use energy than to build a new gas plant, and it also helps customers. Data centers could help pay for solutions like this. For example, states could “ask data centers to pay for energy efficiency improvements for low-income customers in the community where they’re developing a data center,” Hledik says. In some cases, large customers like data centers can also build some of their own power. That’s starting to happen in creative ways, like a new data center in Nevada powered by solar panels and used EV batteries. The catch, of course, is getting those projectsand new utility-scale power plantsto focus only on clean energy. As utilities struggle with making the grid resilient to extreme weather from climate change, they need to look at the long-term challenges, Hledik says. “When I look at this from an economist’s perspective, it does provide support for the idea of going out and continuing to invest in clean energy and decarbonization measures, even at a time when federal policy is not necessarily supporting that,” he says. “We have two options. One is to continue invest to invest money in the grid to make it more resilient in those situations. Two, try and address the bigger picture trend that’s driving the underlying cause of those wildfires and other natural disasters.”
Category:
E-Commerce
It’s Friday afternoon, and a potential client just emailed, asking about your services. You scramble to find your pricing. (Where did you save that document?) You dig through old emails for a proposal you sent six months ago that you could adapt. You piece something together and curse your past self for not being more organized. This scenario plays out constantly for solopreneurs. Most chalk it up to the chaos of running a business alone. But constantly scrambling will start to cost you as your business growsand eventually hold you back. Most solopreneurs think that “operations” is something only real companies need: businesses with employees, office managers, and HR departments. But the absence of basic systems wastes your time, causes unnecessary stress, and makes you look amateurish to potential clients. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} 3 systems that make a difference You don’t need the same complex software or complicated workflows that teams rely on. But you do need systems and processes for the core functions of your business. 1. Sales and pipeline management If you dont have a way to track potential clients or deals, youre potentially losing money. You need a system to store contact names and email addresses, along with information about the person/company and why theyre interested in working with you. To avoid feeling frantic when you put together a proposal, make a template (and a few variations, if you have different bundles of services). I have three PDFs stored on my computer to easily retrieve whenever needed. Or if you offer more complex packages, software can make it easy for you to drag-and-drop different options into a proposal. You also need a way to track follow-ups. Potential clients say theyll get back to you within a week, and they dont. You need to know when to email againeven following up on deals that may have gone cold months before. 2. Project templates Theres no reason to reinvent the wheel with every project. Project templates might include Google or Word docs you use repeatedly, an onboarding questionnaire, or a project management tool with a list of specific tasks. Every one of my clients has the exact same set of folders in my Google Drive, and the same setup in my project management tool. Even though each project is slightly different, I know, at a glance, what I need to work on and when its due. 3. Income and expense tracking Lastly, you need a way to keep track of your income and expenses. You dont want to be reconstructing a years worth of finances come tax time in April. You should know how much each client paid you, and how much you spend on different categories of expenses like software, insurance, and marketing. In addition to tracking, your system should include a way to invoice clients and make it easy for them to pay in their preferred method. Payment friction can be a huge headache for solopreneurs (e.g., the client wants to pay via credit card, but you dont have a way of processing credit cards). Payment-processing tools like Stripe or QuickBooks can handle multiple payment methods for you. They can also send automatic payment reminders to help you stay on top of outstanding invoices. Build systems earlybefore you need them When you don’t have basic operational infrastructure, you’re constantly rebuilding the parts of your business. Every proposal, every client interaction, and every project takes more time than it should. In addition to your time, the other cost is mental load. Without established systems, you’re making dozens of mini-decisions throughout the day. Where do I save this file? How do I structure this kickoff call? How can I collect project feedback? Each decision requires some of your energy that could be better spent in your business. When you’re figuring things out as you go, it shows up in delayed responses, inconsistent communication, and forgotten details. Its better to build systems earlybefore you feel like you need them. Its much easier to build when your workload feels manageable than when youre drowning. Operations will multiply your effectiveness. Every template you create will get reused dozens of times. Every workflow you document makes future decisions easier. Well-run solo businesses have invested time in systems that make smooth possible. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
In the midst of economic uncertainty, polarizing politics, global conflict and a future that is largely out of focus, many consumers are continuing to fight the good fight when it comes to using their dollars to drive positive change. It’s the 13th year that I have helped run an annual survey on the momentum of socially responsible spending, nonprofit giving, and earth friendly practices, called the Conscious Consumer Spending Index. This year we found that despite a worsening view of the state of the world, consumers are holding firm in their support of conscious brands: A majority of respondents said they were actively supporting purposeful companies, while roughly a third plan to increase the amount they spend on socially responsible products and services in 2026. Digging deeper into the data, we identified several questions that are worth serious consideration. Below are four mission critical issues that purpose-driven individuals and organizations should meditate on as we enter a new year. 1: Is being socially responsible an all or nothing proposition? In our study, one third of consumers reported boycotting specific companies or brands because they were not socially responsible, and 31% said they had encouraged family or friends to avoid a company or product because it was not socially responsible. In spirit, this enthusiasm is a positive. However, it is important to evaluate where we are setting the bar for brands. While there are examples of companies who have clearly crossed lines and are easily categorized as not socially responsible, there are many organizations who are on a journey toward being a good company and experiencing setbacks and growing pains along the way. There is a big difference between a company who has no moral compass and no regard for whats best for its people, the community and the environment, compared with a company who is pure in its intentions to be more purposeful but not yet perfect in its execution. As a result, we must strike a balance: holding companies accountable to a set of meaningful standards without being elitist and too quick to cancel a brand for not yet checking all the boxes when it comes to being socially responsible. Set the bar too low, and the bar means nothing. Set the bar too high, and many organizations might decide being a good brand is out of their reach. 2: Should we separate politics from purchases when it comes to socially responsible brands? Consumers want good brands to take stands. When asked if socially responsible brands should weigh in on cultural and political issues, 36% said yes. Another 34% said it depends on the specific situation. Only 21% percent of respondents said no, while 9% had no opinion on the matter. Those who want brands to choose sides represent the most conscious of consumers. More than half (55%) plan to increase their spending on socially responsible goods and services in 2026. This mindset is potentially polarizing and counterproductive when it comes to advancing the conscious consumerism movement. Showing preference to brands who prioritize their community, their workers, the environment and society at large is different from aligning with these same brands based on their activism on specific issues. We are experiencing an unprecedented divide when it comes to politics in this country. It is worth debating whether it is wise to mix political leanings with mission and purpose when evaluating whether a company is socially responsible. At the end of the day, should socially responsible behaviors be a partisan issue? 3: Are we doing enough to raise awareness and understanding of brands doing good? On the whole, awareness remains a key issue when it comes to socially responsible brands. Collectively, those who are a part of this movement should consider doubling down on efforts to spread the word and educate consumers. As an example, our research shows that 75% of Americans still arent familiar with the concept of a B Corp. While weve made progress on this front in the last decade, we are still falling far short of where we need to be to advance the overall movement and reinforce the right behaviors. In addition to raising general awareness, we also need to help consumers identify specific brands to support. Most consumers can accurately articulate what makes a company socially responsible, but when they find themselves in real world consumption scenarios, the good choice is not obvious enough. When we ask consumers to name a company or organization that is socially responsible, Amazon and Walmart continue to dominate responses. Brands like Patagonia and Ben & Jerrys are also popular answers, but overall this data point reinforces the fact that most consumers do not have a working filter for separating purposeful brands from those who are not actually mission driven. The most frequent way consumers make this decision is by reading packaging labels. We need to equip them with better tools and encourage them to be more proactive if they are serious about being purposeful when shopping. 4: Is increasing interest in conscious consumerism bad news for nonprofits? When comparing nonprofit giving trends with the trajectory of conscious consumerism, the CCSIndex data shows that charitable donations have lagged behind socially responsible spending since 2017. The gap is widening, driven by a youth movement that is more likely to do good by shopping responsibly versus making financial contributions to causes. For Americans ages 18-34, 31% prefer to give back by buying socially responsible products and services instead of donating to charity, compared to 27% of those who are 35-54, and 17% of Americans who are 55 or older. The youngest cohort was the least likely to have contributed financially to a charity in the previous year. While some of this can be chalked up to financial constraints for younger individuals, that likely isnt the entire story. Historically, giving levels have increased as individuals move into older age brackets and are more financially able to give. Evidence suggests a shift is occurring among Millennials and Gen Z toward alternative giving channels, and that this shift might just stick as they age. Specifically, it seems clear that younger Americans favor conscious consumerism over charitable donations. Its less clear what should be done about this trend. Regardless, charities should be paying close attention to where things are headed and how their fundraising strategies can evolve.
Category:
E-Commerce
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