AI data centers could drive future energy bill hikes

WASHINGTON (7News) — You know roughly how much your electricity bill is every month, and maybe you’ve noticed a manageable increase recently.

There’s a new warning from several analysts, including one 7News’ Adrianna Hopkins spoke with:

“Energy bill hikes that are hitting all of us are just a taste of what’s to come if we don’t choose a better path, which could mean steadily rising energy bills for the next decade or more, reaching a $90 monthly increase for Virginians by the year 2040,” the President of the Center for Energy and Environmental Analysis, Jeremy Symons, said.

What’s to blame?

Symons said his research shows that it’s AI data centers and the energy required to power them, as well as our area’s reliance on natural gas from out of state. He says it’s not too late to change course.

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“We can really limit the growth of data centers to a manageable, low growth. We can make sure that they pay the cost. And we can diversify our energy sources in the state by investing more heavily, particularly in solar, which is very affordable,” he said.

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Symons told 7News that people at their county council meetings are upset about these proposals for data centers in their backyards.

He suggests that people demand that lawmakers tell AI companies to pay for the energy that is required to power these data centers, and push lawmakers to find other means of power, such as solar.