Energy Prices Are Rising Faster Than Your Grocery Bill - And It's No Accident
Across the country, families and small businesses are feeling the squeeze of higher energy costs. From 2021 to 2022, the average monthly residential electricity bill jumped 13%.
In just the past year, electricity prices rose 4.5% – outpacing the 2.2% increase in grocery prices.
These are more than just numbers. For households living paycheck to paycheck, a rising utility bill can mean cutting back elsewhere – on food, rent, or essentials.
So why are prices climbing so fast?
Short-sighted policies that prematurely close reliable power plants, delay critical infrastructure upgrades, and overlook growing demand – from AI to electric vehicles – are driving up costs.
When policymakers limit our energy options, they increase your energy bill.
What is Your State’s Average Price for Electricity?
Electricity prices are soaring in states that have prioritized energy mandates over affordability.
As of May 2025, In Massachusetts, households pay 29.94¢/kWh – 76% more than the national average (17.47¢/kWh). New York follows closely behind at 26.67¢/kWh.
Meanwhile, states with more balanced fuel portfolios—like Texas (15.49¢) and Florida (14.98¢)—continue to deliver lower-cost power.
These differences add up. In high-cost states like California and New York, families spend a significantly greater share of their income on electricity compared to households in lower-cost states.
Energy Mandates Are Leaving Families In The Dark - And Footing The Bill
California set ambitious targets to increase renewable energy, accelerating its timeline to reach 100% clean electricity by 2045. But in the rush to meet these goals, the state shuttered critical natural gas and nuclear plants that once provided dependable, around-the-clock power.
As a result, California is now curtailing record amounts of wind and solar energy – 3.4 million megawatthours in 2024 alone, a 29% increase from the year before.
Curtailing happens when power from a generator - usually wind or solar - is intentionally reduced or turned off, even though it could produce electricity. This often occurs when there’s not enough transmission to carry the power to where it’s needed, the grid already has too much electricity at that moment, and/or when operators need to prioritize other sources to keep the system stable. Curtailment wastes clean, affordable energy - and it’s a sign that we need more infrastructure to connect power sources to consumers.
When intermittent sources like wind and solar overproduce and there’s no affordable way to store the energy, it goes to waste. And when demand spikes—often in the evenings when solar drops off—California utilities are forced to buy expensive replacement electricity on the spot market. Those added costs don’t disappear; they show up on your monthly bill.
The lesson is simple: no single energy source can do it all. Solar and wind are vital, but they need flexible, dispatchable partners like natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower to keep the lights on.
When energy diversity is replaced by mandates, reliability suffers—and consumers pay the price.
The Grid Is Under Pressure
America’s electric grid wasn’t built for today’s realities.
As demand rises and infrastructure ages, cracks are starting to show. From growing blackout risks to outdated transmission lines, the challenges are mounting – and so is the cost to consumers.
A stronger, more reliable energy future starts with modern infrastructure and an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy.
70%
70% of U.S. transmission lines are over 25 years old. Much of our electric grid is aging beyond its expected lifespan, leaving it less capable of supporting modern energy demands or integrating new technologies.
12X
Electricity demand is now growing 12 times faster than in the previous decade, driven by AI, EVs, data centers, and electrified buildings. This rapid growth is overwhelming infrastructure designed for a slower-paced era.
64%
Major power outages have increased 64% over the past 10 years. Extreme weather and insufficient supply diversity are leaving communities exposed when the grid is most needed.
24/7
The need for reliable power never stops. Whether it’s powering medical equipment or heating a home during a storm, grid reliability is a foundational service that must be protected through sound policy and investment.
Affordable, Reliable Energy Requires Options – Not Mandates
States that embrace a balanced mix of energy sources – like natural gas, nuclear, renewables, and hydropower – are better equipped to ensure affordable, reliable energy for families and businesses.
But where policy restricts energy diversity, prices rise and reliability suffers.
The data makes the case: energy balance protects consumers.
Why Does Energy Diversity Matter?
Diverse energy portfolios give grid operators the flexibility to meet demand in any condition – hot, cold, calm, or cloudy.
When states rely too heavily on a single source, especially intermittent renewables without backup, they risk supply shortfalls.
Balanced systems that include dispatchable power – like natural gas and nuclear – are better at keeping prices low and the grid stable, even during peak demand or extreme weather.
Aren’t Mandates Helping Reduce Emissions?
Emissions reductions are important—but mandates that force out reliable sources can create unintended consequences.
In some regions, utilities have had to delay key infrastructure due to restrictive policy.
Cleaner energy requires not just goals, but practical implementation.
Innovation, permitting reform, and fuel flexibility are what drive real, sustainable progress – without putting consumers at risk.
Which Regions Are Seeing The Highest Prices?
Regions with strict mandates and limited fuel diversity consistently top the charts for electricity costs:
California: 35.03¢/kWh
New York: 26.67¢/kWh
Pennsylvania: 19.31¢/kWh
In contrast, more balanced states remain far more affordable:
Texas: 15.49¢/kWh
Florida: 14.98¢/kWh
The pattern is clear: where energy options are limited, prices rise.
Are Natural Gas And Nuclear Still Necessary?
Absolutely.
Natural gas and nuclear remain two of the most effective tools for delivering low-cost, low-emission electricity around the clock:
Natural gas distribution emissions are down 69% since 1990
In 2024, Nuclear generated enough energy to power more than 72 million homes
Both are dispatchable, meaning they’re available when intermittent sources fall short.
Eliminating them would make the grid less reliable—and the energy evolution more expensive.
What’s The Takeaway?
Policymakers don’t need to choose between clean and reliable.
A balanced, all-of-the-above approach ensures that environmental goals don’t come at the cost of affordability or resilience.
Mandates that sideline key energy sources increase costs, reduce flexibility, and undermine reliability.
The smarter path is simple: don’t ban – balance.
Rising Costs. Stalled Projects. Families Can’t Afford Inaction.
Across the country, families are paying more to keep the lights on.
Meanwhile, essential energy projects are stuck in limbo due to policy and permitting roadblocks.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Cleaner Energy Is Possible - When We Use Common Sense
The evolution to cleaner energy doesn’t require eliminating what works – it requires making smarter use of every tool we have. That means integrating renewables with reliable, dispatchable resources like natural gas and nuclear. Innovation is moving fast – but so are costs and constraints.
Policy should reflect reality, not wishful thinking.
Batteries Are A Tool – Not A Silver Bullet
Tariffs on imported materials could raise utility-scale battery costs by over 50%, while domestic production works to scale.
As a result, storage is limited, expensive, and often unavailable when the grid needs it most.
Without reliable backup from gas or nuclear, intermittent sources like wind and solar leave the system exposed to volatility and price spikes.
Policy that counts on storage alone is betting on infrastructure that doesn’t exist yet
Clean Energy Works Best When It Works Together
In California, utilities are planning to use excess solar and wind to produce clean hydrogen, which is then blended with natural gas at facilities like the Intermountain Power Project.
This hybrid approach allows clean energy to be stored and dispatched when needed—without sacrificing grid stability or affordability.
The most successful energy systems are layered - NOT limited
Innovation Must Be Grounded In Reality
We don’t need to ban proven technologies to make environmental progress. In fact:
Natural gas emissions are down 69% since 1990
Nuclear provides nearly 50% of all U.S. carbon-free electricity
Both are affordable, always-on, and critical to reliability. Cleaner energy requires coordination, permitting reform, and fuel flexibility – not rigid mandates that limit options and raise costs.
We can’t store the sun. We can’t control the wind. But we can design a system that delivers - rain or shine