New survey suggests majority of Americans believe AI will increase their energy bills

Americans are increasingly concerned about rising energy costs and power grid reliability according to a new survey of 2,000 US consumers conducted by Neara, an AI-powered infrastructure modeling platform.

Key survey findings: The data reveals widespread dissatisfaction with current energy costs and growing skepticism about future grid performance.

• 59% of Americans believe they are paying excessive energy bills
• 47% anticipate further increases in their energy costs
• 48% have noticed more frequent power outages in their area over the past five years
• 43% lack confidence in the grid’s ability to handle extreme weather events
• 70% of consumers expect power restoration within 5 hours after severe storms
• 65% are satisfied with utility company communications during outages

Infrastructure challenges: The US power grid is struggling to meet unprecedented demand while maintaining reliability and affordability.

• The Department of Energy has allocated $7.6 billion for grid resilience projects
• Current infrastructure improvements are not keeping pace with growing power demands
• Weather events and increasing load requirements are creating new strains on the system
• Grid reliability issues are directly contributing to rising consumer costs

Consumer expectations: Survey data indicates a disconnect between public expectations for power restoration and current grid capabilities.

• More than one-third of Americans expect power restoration within 1-2 hours after severe storms
• Another third anticipate restoration within 3-5 hours
• These expectations may be unrealistic given current infrastructure limitations

Expert perspective: Neara’s Managing Director of the Americas, Robert Brook, emphasizes the critical nature of energy infrastructure improvements.

• Energy reliability impacts both public safety and economic growth
• Current infrastructure faces unprecedented pressure
• Severe weather events combined with increasing demand create ongoing challenges
• Intelligent, cost-effective solutions are needed to enhance grid resilience

Looking ahead: The survey results suggest a growing tension between consumer expectations and grid capabilities that may lead to increased public pressure for infrastructure modernization and could impact utility companies’ social license to operate.