Overview
- Residential electricity prices rose nearly 5% from 2024 to 2025 and are forecast to climb another 4% next year, with monthly data showing a 12.5% increase since President Donald Trump took office, according to the EIA.
- Transmission and distribution expenses have nearly doubled since 2014, with utilities projected to spend about $208 billion in 2025 and industry plans pointing to roughly $1.1 trillion over five years to expand and harden the grid.
- The Department of Energy finalized a $1.6 billion loan in October to upgrade or replace nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines across five states, a move expected to save about $275 million in financing costs over the life of the loan.
- The House passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act to speed federal environmental reviews, though the Senate’s next steps are uncertain until early next year.
- States are at the center of the fight over prices, with major rate cases pending in battlegrounds such as Arizona and Michigan, while debate over causes spans fossil-plant retirements, renewable project cancellations, fuel volatility, and surging demand from data centers.