Data centers are consuming the grid, Residential electricity costs are near a record high, and decaying infrastructure threatens blackouts.

The grid is snapping. Not metaphorically. Not slowly. It’s breaking under unrelenting pressure, pressure from machines that never rest, never blink, never care. Data centers are not a part of the future. They are the future’s parasite. And they are feeding on your power.

Electricity prices across the country rose at more than twice the rate of overall inflation in the past year and are holding near a record high. Residential electricity prices have climbed about 10% from January until May and are projected to gain another 5.8% next year.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-energy-chief-says-high-141646343.html

This isn’t inflation. It’s extraction. A siphon from your wall socket to their server racks. You pay more. They expand. You dim the lights. They light up the cloud. Every kilowatt is a vote of surrender.

“30% of transmission lines and 46% of distribution infrastructure have surpassed their useful life, significantly increasing the risk of outages and systemic dysfunction.”

https://www.ainvest.com/news/bank-america-warns-30-46-grid-life-risking-system-failures-2508

The grid wasn’t built for this. It was built for homes, neighborhoods, people. Now it’s twisted to serve machines. The decay isn’t accidental. It’s tolerated. Every corroded line, every failing transformer, every silent fuse is a testament to the system choosing the few over the many.

“Data centers consumed about 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023 and are expected to consume approximately 6.7 to 12% by 2028.”

https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers

This is not growth. It’s metastasis. Doubling. Maybe tripling. Every percentage point stolen from the public grid. From your heater. Your stove. Your hospital. They don’t just consume. They dominate. Every terawatt-hour is a declaration of power, a public resource turned private feast.

“Dominion Energy plans to spend $50 billion between 2025–2029 to support data center growth.”

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/the-grid/data-centers-drive-up-electricity-demand-causing-concern-for-grid-operators

Not to fix your lines. Not to lower your bill. To feed the beast. To build more capacity for the few who profit from your suffering. This isn’t investment. It’s tribute. Every dollar flowing upward, every project approved, is a vote against the people.

“The report indicates that total data center electricity usage climbed from 58 TWh in 2014 to 176 TWh in 2023 and estimates an increase between 325 to 580 TWh by 2028.”

https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers