The AARP in Oklahoma says state regulators should take note of the warning from consumers—-don’t shift the soaring costs of powering large data centers onto residential customers.
An overwhelming 92% of Oklahomans age 50‑plus say elected officials should ensure residential customers do not pay for the costs of serving new large data centers, according to a new AARP survey. When asked who should foot the bill, 86% say data center companies themselves should pay, not homeowners on fixed or limited incomes.
“Oklahomans shouldn’t have to choose between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table for the sake of data centers,” said AARP Oklahoma State Director Sean Voskuhl. “People are already cutting back on groceries and medicine just to pay rising utility bills. Lawmakers must act now to protect residential customers from picking up the tab for these massive data centers.”
Findings show that 65% of Oklahomans age 50-plus said their electricity bills increased over the past year, with nearly one in four reporting a significant increase. At the same time, 77% said they are concerned about their electricity bill increasing. In fact, 40% say that an increase in their electricity bill would represent a “major problem” for their finances.
That pressure is already drastically affecting lives.
- 57% adjusted thermostats beyond comfort.
- 40% cut back on basic necessities like groceries and transportation.
- 22% have fallen behind on other bills because of utility costs.
- 19% cut back on medical expenses or prescriptions.
- 19% took on new debt.
“Families are already at their breaking point when it comes to utility costs,” Voskuhl said. “Forcing them to shoulder the financial risk for infrastructure needed largely by massive data centers is unfair, deeply unpopular, and simply not sustainable.”
Concerns also extend to reliability and the enormous consumption of electricity and water by rapidly expanding data centers. Nearly nine in ten older Oklahomans worry that data centers could threaten electric reliability during extreme weather, and 94% say data centers should reduce their own power use first during grid emergencies before utilities cut power to homes.
Water impacts are another major concern. Nine in ten respondents worry data centers could increase residential water costs, while 88% fear heavy industrial water use could limit water availability for residents, farmers, and small businesses.
Voters are paying attention. 97% agree that state elected officials should work to ensure utility costs are affordable, while 67% say officials are not currently doing enough. Among likely voters, 73% say they are more likely to support a candidate who promises to work on lowering utility rates.
“The message from older Oklahomans couldn’t be clearer,” Voskuhl said. “Make sure the biggest users pay their fair share. The stakes for Oklahomans’ household budgets are simply too high to ignore.”
Oklahomans also strongly oppose CWIP, Construction Work in Progress, which allows utilities to raise residential rates before power lines, pipelines, or other infrastructure are built, and before customers see any benefit on reliability or service. Eight in ten respondents oppose the “pay now, use later” residential utility rate cases which allows utilities to increase residential rates in advance of construction.
Read the complete survey here.