Nothing in my life is going up except bills. My rent, car insurance, cellphone and cable bills have all gotten more expensive recently. At 74 years old, I can’t enjoy my golden years, and must work as a private caregiver in order to cover the exploding costs of living. Unfortunately, two of my patients passed away recently, and I am looking for new work to fill that financial gap.
I receive Social Security benefits each month, but it is not nearly enough to live on. It’s difficult working at my age, but it is my only option in order to make ends meet. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh for over 70 years. For the first time, I have had to delay my rent payments for the past three months in order to cover other bills. Each month, I find myself doing impossible math to figure out how to stretch my Social Security payment and my limited income from caregiving .
It feels like the odds are stacked against seniors and working people like me. On top of rent, groceries and gas, my utility bill has gotten out of control. My provider, Duquesne Light, increased rates by 15% last June and by more than 10% in December. Not only did these rate increases come back-to-back, they came during the coldest months when we must use more power. Temperatures in Pittsburgh dropped well below zero degrees this winter, and we all need power to keep our homes warm and stay alive. Heat isn’t an option in Pennsylvania, it is a necessity. Duquesne Light’s rate increase takes more money from families who are already doing their best to get through the most expensive part of the year.
Across the country, consumers paid an average of 9.6% more for electricity in 2025 than they did in 2024. With data centers driving up the cost of power, we can expect this disturbing trend to continue. I’ve come to learn, through what I’ve read, that PJM, the operator who oversees the electric grid in Pennsylvania and 12 other states, forecasted an increase in usage of 5,250 megawatts from 2026-27 to 2027-28. They say nearly 97% of that increase is attributable to data center demand.
Our electric bills are going up because demand is going up. Demand is going up because of AI data centers, not because of household customers. Why are working families left footing that bill?
I am enrolled in Duquesne Light’s customer assistance program for people struggling to keep up with their bills. Even still, my bill has increased year after year. If this corporation truly wants to help customers, it can stop the third rate hike on us in eight months. Between September and October, my bill went up from $50 to $67. That $17 is significant to me. Duquesne Light reported $860 million in revenue in 2024. This is not a struggling company. It does not need to keep pushing more rate increases onto the backs of working Pennsylvanians.
If my utilities go up any higher, I’ll have to start sacrificing more of life’s necessities. I don’t know how I can keep the lights on when I have to pay for my prescriptions, put gas in my car and cover health insurance costs, which also just went up. If rates go higher, I don’t know how I’ll be able to afford it. I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep the lights on, let alone stay in my home.
Pennsylvania lawmakers must take action to keep costs down and make sure families can still afford to live here. It’s their job to make the lives of people in our state more affordable. One way to do that is to follow in the steps of New Jersey and cap utility rate increases for household customers. Pennsylvanians can’t keep paying for increases fueled by data centers, AI companies and corporate greed. Working people like me are struggling as it is. It has never felt harder to pay for the bare necessities like food, health care or rent. Skyrocketing utility prices are adding fuel to the unaffordability fire.
Too many of our elected officials are out of touch. They don’t feel the heat so many of us feel right now, as the rising financial flames of insecurity jump higher month after month. There’s a four-alarm fire rolling through our state. It’s past time for lawmakers to respond to this crisis.
2026 is an election year in Pennsylvania and across the United States. When I am at the ballot box, I plan to support candidates who see the crisis Pennsylvania families are facing. I will support candidates who commit to lowering costs for working-class Americans and retired folks who are trying to get by. I will stand with candidates who will fight for commonsense solutions, like a cap on utility rate increases. Right now, Pennsylvanians are getting burned. We need leaders who are willing to fight to put the fire out.
Diana Vahabzadeh is a Carrick resident.
