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Counterspark Together we can make the energy transition work for all. Find more at https://www.counterspark.org.

Your home could help lower your everyones electric bill. But who gets the savings?We all pay for a grid built to handle ...
10/15/2026

Your home could help lower your everyones electric bill. But who gets the savings?

We all pay for a grid built to handle the busiest hours of the year. When households charge cars later, store solar power, or shift when appliances run, they can reduce the need for expensive power plants and grid upgrades.

Those savings can benefit everyone who pays an electric bill. But households helping lower those costs often aren't paid for it.

Rewarding that participation could bring more people into the picture, lowering costs even further while making sure households share in the savings they help create.

Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we celebrate the rich histories, diverse cultures, and lasting contributions of Indig...
10/12/2026

Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we celebrate the rich histories, diverse cultures, and lasting contributions of Indigenous peoples.
We recognize the resilience and leadership of Indigenous communities and the importance of honoring their sovereignty, traditions, and voices, today and every day!

10/12/2026

Savings from cheaper electricity don’t always make it to our bills. Why?

Cheaper, cleaner electricity creates an opportunity to lower our bills. Whether we actually see those savings depends on what utilities invest in, how they're allowed to earn a profit, and how carefully regulators scrutinize what customers are asked to pay.

Utilities can make more money by building more infrastructure, even when cheaper solutions might meet the same need. And...
10/09/2026

Utilities can make more money by building more infrastructure, even when cheaper solutions might meet the same need. And we're the ones paying for it.

Batteries, cleaner power, and shifting when we use electricity can sometimes reduce the need for expensive new infrastructure, saving customers money. But utilities don't always have the same financial incentive to pursue those options.

Investor-owned utilities earn a return on approved infrastructure investments, giving them a reason to favor building more. And that spending adds up. Growing spending on the local grid has accounted for roughly a third of the increase in average electricity rates since 2014.

Some new infrastructure is necessary. But before approving expensive projects that raise our bills, regulators should make utilities show they've seriously considered lower-cost alternatives.

We shouldn't have to pay more just because utilities have an incentive to spend more.

10/07/2026

Your electric bill isn’t just paying for electricity. It’s also paying for what utilities build.
And because investor-owned utilities can earn returns on approved infrastructure, the cheapest solution for customers isn’t always the one they have the strongest incentive for.

Your electric bill pays for more than the electricity you use. It also pays for utility investments that can stay on bil...
10/05/2026

Your electric bill pays for more than the electricity you use. It also pays for utility investments that can stay on bills for decades, while utilities may earn returns on what they build.
When cleaner, cheaper options can meet the same need, customers shouldn’t be locked into paying for a more expensive project for decades.

10/01/2026

California can make extremely cheap power and still have some of the highest electric bills in the country. Clean energy is pushing costs down, so what happens to those savings before they reach your bill?

09/30/2026

What we pay for electricity is shaped by more than how much we use. Power can be much more expensive to supply at some hours than others, and those costs can ultimately affect our rates. More low-cost options can help avoid the most expensive power.

Electricity can cost SIX TIMES more on one day than another.In June 2026, daily peak wholesale electricity prices in PJM...
09/26/2026

Electricity can cost SIX TIMES more on one day than another.

In June 2026, daily peak wholesale electricity prices in PJM ranged from $36 to $216 per megawatt-hour. Most of us don’t see those swings directly because utility rates smooth them out, but they still affect the cost of supplying electricity over time.

One reason prices move so much is that fossil fuel gas often sets the wholesale price. When its fuel cost rises, electricity prices can rise with it.

Wind and solar have no fuel cost, while batteries and flexible demand can move lower-cost electricity into higher-demand hours. The more often those resources can meet demand, the less exposed electricity prices are to volatile fossil fuel gas costs and the costs that ultimately feed into our bills.

Why is electricity generally cheaper at 2 AM than at 6 PM? In much of the country, it trades hour by hour on markets tha...
09/25/2026

Why is electricity generally cheaper at 2 AM than at 6 PM? In much of the country, it trades hour by hour on markets that work a lot like a live auction. Power resources bid in, and grid operators pick the cheapest combination that can meet demand at that moment. When a demand spike, an outage, a jump in fuel costs, or something else forces more expensive resources onto the grid, the price in that moment goes up too.

Swipe through for the main reasons prices swing, and why solar, wind, batteries, and flexible demand are some of the best tools for keeping the expensive hours from happening as often.

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