While consumer prices increased 2.7% last year, electricity prices jumped 6.7%. But energy experts say no single factor is to blame.

State utility regulators must decide how to allocate the costs of generating and delivering power to data center operations, often referred to as “large load centers.” The issue is complex, and states are testing different approaches, each with its own advantages, limitations and risks.

Most of the time, the grid is running at only about half its capacity. This inefficiency drives up costs because building and maintaining the grid is expensive. But some researchers see an opportunity.

The SB 126 bill would require the Florida Public Service Commission to justify rate increases for investor-owned utilities and to consider affordability when making rate decisions. It was filed just weeks after the PSC approved a nearly $7 billion rate increase for FPL, affecting about 12 million customers and marking the largest rate hike in state history.