This cost is separate from the charges billed by electricity utilities for maintenance and distribution costs for the electric grid.
This is the third double-digit increase in the average year over year price to compare since June 2025--
-- June 2025 - Nov. 2025: 15.6%
-- Dec. 2025 - May 2026: 17.9%
-- June 2026 - Nov. 2026: 11.9%
In a separate analysis of the wholesale cost of electricity based on the PJM Monitoring Analytics, the cost of electricity jumped 48.3% in 2025 and further surged 75.5% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter of 2025.
The IFO said the average monthly electric bill-- including all charges and taxes-- for the typical Pennsylvania household has increased from $213 in 2024 to $257 in 2026-- 20.6%.
The IFO noted the increases in electricity have been driven by the cost of energy, including the dramatic increase in regional electricity demand [from data centers] that is outpacing electricity generation.
Click Here for the full report.
Resource Link:
-- A.I. Data Center Legislative Scorecard: Pennsylvania Failed To Finalize Meaningful Legislation On Energy Affordability, To Increase Electric Generation And Give Communities The Tools They Need To Cope With A.I. Proposals [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week - Data Centers:
-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Endorses Statewide Moratorium On A.I. Data Center Development Amid Eminent Domain, Farmland Preservation Worries [PaEN]
-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports Average Cost Of Electricity In PA Jumped 14.6% Over Past Year, Total Average PA Electricity Bill Has Increased 20.6% Since 2024 [PaEN]
-- FYI: -- A.I. Data Center Legislative Scorecard: Pennsylvania Failed To Finalize Meaningful Legislation On Energy Affordability, To Increase Electric Generation And Give Communities The Tools They Need To Cope With A.I. Proposals [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Proposes One-Time Backstop General Capacity Auction In September With A $555/MW-Day Cap On Prices - Nearly 71% Higher Than Current $325 Cap [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Water Quality Permit For Fill, Utility Lines Related To Aligned Data Centers Project, Shippingport Boro & Raccoon Twp., Beaver County [PaEN]
-- North Pocono CARE, Pocono Heritage Land Trust Host Aug. 1 Hike At Barton Brothers Property That Abuts Proposed A.I. Data Center Site In Lackawanna County [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - August 3 [PaEN]
NewsClips - Data Centers:
-- The Center Square: State Lawmakers Denied Entry To Talen Energy/Amazon Data Center In Luzerne County
-- Erie Times/USAToday: Pennsylvania Electric Bills Rise 20% In 2 Years [Driven By Surge In Power Demands From Data Centers]
-- Warren Times Editorial: Rising Electricity Rates Keep Shocking Customers
-- PA Capital-Star: Leftover Low-Income Energy Assistance Funds Used To Give PA Enrollees $100 Supplemental Benefit In Face Of Spiking, Data Center-Driven Energy Costs
-- Spotlight PA: PJM, Power Grid Can’t Handle A.I. Boom Demands As Summer Heat Triggers Emergency Orders
-- TribLive: Data Center Dash: A.I. Data Center Industry Expands Hopes In Western PA, But Its Future Remains Uncertain
-- WHYY - Zoe Read: ‘We Will Not Be Bullied:’ Plymouth Township Pushes Back Against Developer Or Proposed A.I. Data Center In Montgomery County
-- Environmental Health Project Blog: Strategies From The Front Lines - How Communities Fight Data Centers - One Person's Experience From Springdale, Allegheny County
-- The Shenandoah Sentinel: PPL Follows Through With Threat, Begins Eminent Domain Proceedings For Grid Improvements Paid For By Ratepayers To Feed Proposed A.I. Data Center In Luzerne County
-- Scranton Times: PPL Corp, Blackstone Spend $40.4 Million To Purchase 500 Acres In Jenkins, Plains, Salem Twps. On Possible A.I. Data Center Power Plants In Luzerne County
-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant Restart Continues Checking Boxes, Stoking Fears
-- PA Capital-Star: Concerns Persist As Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant Progresses Toward 2027 Restart
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Westinghouse Nuclear Technology Company Files To Become Public Company [Riding Hope Of Nuclear Power Renaissance With A.I. Data Centers]
-- The Water Center, University Of Pennsylvania: Research Examines Case Studies On The Local Impact Of A.I.- Driven Data Center Growth In PA And Water Use, Energy, Communities
-- The Guardian: US Environmental Groups Urge EPA To Reject New PFAS ‘Forever Chemical’ To Cool A.I. Data Centers
NewsClips - Data Center Politics:
-- Spotlight PA: Where Governor Candidates Garrity, Shapiro Stand On Energy Costs, The Environment, More
-- Scranton Times: Republican Candidate For Governor Garrity Calls For Protecting Farmland From A.I. Data Center Development At Ag Roundtable
-- City & State PA: Q/A With PA US Sen. Dave McCormick - Data Centers, Other Issues
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader/AP: Democratic Candidate [Cognetti] For PA Swing Congressional Seat Targets A.I. Data Centers To Oust Republican [Bresnahan]
-- Scranton Times: Republican Con. Bresnahan Calls For Local Control Of A.I. Data Center Development
-- Capital & Main: In Pennsylvania, The A.I. Data Center Wars Hit The Ballot Box; Voters Angry About Rising Electricity Bills
-- PA Capital-Star: Pro-Data Center Industry Group Behind Ad Campaign In Oregon, Pennsylvania And 5 Other States
-- AP: Democrat’s TV Ad Uses Data Centers In Effort To Oust PA Republican Congressman
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader/AP: Democratic Candidate [Cognetti] For PA Swing Congressional Seat Targets A.I. Data Centers To Oust Republican [Bresnahan]
-- Scranton Times: Republican Con. Bresnahan Calls For Local Control Of A.I. Data Center Development
-- Bloomberg: Backlash Over A.I. Data Centers, Energy Costs Tests Republican Hold On Ohio
[Posted: July 28, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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