Americans are paying more for utilities than they did last year — a trend that will likely continue as data centers proliferate, according to new financial data.
An analysis from the Bank of America Institute released Friday found that consumers paid 3.6 percent more for electricity and gas in the third quarter of 2025 than they did during the same period last year.
That’s lower than the 10 percent year-over-year jump that consumers saw in the spring. But the bank’s analysts say costs may continue to increase as more data centers connect to the grid.
“Relatively soft electricity demand over the summer” is likely responsible for the difference between the spring and summer increases, Bank of America found, and “consumers may again feel the pressure on their utility bills in the coming months, particularly if the winter is a cold one.”
