About this episode
The episode discusses the growing anger and anxiety over electricity costs in America and its implications for utility companies.
The anger and anxiety over electricity in America is palpable. You can see it in packed utility commission hearings, in protests against companies, and in furious reactions on social media. And you can see it in the polling. Across poll after poll, more people are saying that they can’t afford their bills and they think utilities need to change how they make money. And they are also very cynical about data centers. So will this be the push utilities need to finally change the way utilities pay for infrastructure? This week, we dig into three indicators. First: 75% of Americans say their home energy costs have gone up, and a quarter of Americans now consider utility bills unaffordable. Second: 86% of California voters said executive pay should be tied to affordability. And third: 71% of Americans would now oppose a data center being built near their home, a 49-point swing in less than a year. Julia Hamm, a partner at Ad Hoc Group, joins us to explore how these economic anxieties may shift the electricity economy. Credits: Co-hosted by Stephen Lacey, Jigar Shah, and Caroline Golin. Produced and edited by Stephen Lacey, Sean Marquand, and Anne Bailey. Open Circuit is brought to you…
People in this episode
Hosts: Stephen Lacey, Jigar Shah, Caroline Golin
Guest: Julia Hamm
Topics covered
- electricity costs
- utility companies
- public opinion
- data centers
- economic anxiety
Keywords
- electricity
- utility bills
- affordability
- public opinion
- data centers
Sponsors
FlexGen
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Ad Hoc Group
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