AI Data Giants Complicate California Affordable Electricity Aims

Judy Fehlner won’t touch the air conditioner in her Northern California home until the temperature inside hits 86 degrees. The retired mortgage broker says she can’t afford to.

“You feel like you’re living in a dungeon,” says Fehlner, 67, of her 2,100-square-foot house in Grass Valley, about 75 miles northeast of Sacramento. “It’s like you’re a mole.”

Electric rates for Pacific Gas & Electric customers like Fehlner more than doubled over the past decade, and her monthly bill last July hit $675. Across California, residential electric rates are nearly twice the national average.

About 90 miles southwest ...