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Wholesale electricity prices were lower and less volatile last year

Jan 16, 2025
But how does that show up in your electricity bill?
Wholesale electricity prices have fallen since 2023, according to a report from the Energy Information Administration.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

If you heat your home with gas, brace yourself for an expensive January

Jan 1, 2025
Natural gas futures saw their biggest jump in three years as a cold front hits the U.S. Geopolitical tensions don't help.
Cold weather spurs consumption of natural gas and can boost prices.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Climate change is leading to higher utility bills — and not just because of rising temps

Sep 10, 2024
Regulators approved more than $9.7 billion in utility rate increases nationally last year.
Building solar and wind farms, as well as transmission lines to connect them to the grid, is pricey. Utilities are passing a lot of these expenses on to ratepayers.
bymuratdeniz/Getty Images

Why does my electric company need to advertise?

May 3, 2024
Sometimes it's for public service announcements, sometimes it's for public relations after a scandal. Either way, some states are cracking down.
Utilities advertise to sell products, make public service announcements, and improve their image.
George Rose/Getty Images

As extreme heat lingers, millions of U.S. households face a utility shutoff crisis

Jul 7, 2023
And it's leaving some people without the electricity to power a fan or air conditioner during intense heat waves.
Utilities cut power to at least 3 million customers who missed payments last year and shutoffs happen most often in the summer, according to research from University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

Thames Water, the UK’s biggest water company, struggles to plug a hole in its finances

Jul 6, 2023
Huge debts and raw sewage threaten the future of a major British utility.
Joan Fennelly, left, and Jo Robb of the Henley Mermaids swimming in the Thames — in spite of the sewage. “We’ve seen it all and it’s very upsetting.”
Mimisse Beard

Utilities' emergency costs spark surge in ratepayer-funded recovery bonds

Feb 6, 2023
To pay off expenses caused by storms or power plant retirements, utilities are increasingly turning to something called securitization.
More than half of states have legislation allowing utilities to use securitization to pay off massive one-time expenses.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

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A shortage of electrical transformers holds back utilities, businesses

Nov 14, 2022
A utilities trade group has asked the Biden administration to help boost the supply.
Transformers act like an interface between the power grid and a home or business. The current shortage of transformers is frustrating for utility companies.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Cash-strapped cities consider turning crumbling utilities over to the private sector

Oct 20, 2022
Infrastructure repairs are usually left up to local governments, but smaller cities can’t always afford these repairs.
Above, a water treatment plant on Aug. 31, in Jackson, Mississippi. In places like Jackson and Duquesne, Pennsylvania, crumbling infrastructure has led to unclean drinking water.
Brad Vest/Getty Images

In fire-prone California, experts push utilities to monitor the riskiest equipment on the grid

Jan 6, 2022
Power lines and equipment have sparked devastating blazes. Now companies are asked to take stock of their aging infrastructure.
Utilities have been making upgrades to their systems. Above, workers re-anchor a pole that suspends power lines outside Acton, California.
Lily Jamali/Marketplace