Data centers’ national price impact is small

Multiple recent studies (Harvard/Penn, MIT, Brattle/LBNL, EPRI) converge on the finding that, so far, data‑center growth explains only a single‑digit share of recent residential electricity price increases (roughly 2–4%), though industrial rates can be more affected and local spikes occur. The effect may grow if demand booms and new capacity (often gas) is added, and local externalities (noise, land use, generator pollution) remain politically salient. — This reframes public and policy debates: opposition based purely on national price impacts is overstated today, but local planning, grid investment, and emissions lock‑in still warrant policy attention.