Reward scheme for using less power at peak times could help lower US bills

With AI datacenters soaring power bills for households, a policy called'demand flexibility' could help ease grid strain A cheap, bipartisan tool could help the US meet increasing energy demand from AI datacenters while also easing soaring power bills for households, preventing deadly blackouts and helping the climate. The policy solution, called "demand flexibility", can be quickly deployed across the US. Demand flexibility essentially means rewarding customers for using less power during times of high demand, reducing strain on the grid or in some cases, selling energy they have captured by solar panels on their homes. Peak power demand is expected to grow by 20% over the next decade - driven by the dramatic rise of AI datacenters, onshoring of manufacturing, increasing use of EVs and growing need for air conditioning amid hotter summers. Increasing energy demand is putting states such as California and Texas at higher risk of life-threatening blackouts in extreme weather.