Gary, Indiana is a warning: energy independence has gotten personal

A derecho storm knocked out power to nearly 370,000 people around Gary, Indiana on August 11. Nearly two weeks later, tens of thousands were still in the dark, with power mostly restored only by late August. Residents have pointed out that data centers in the region reportedly stayed powered through the outage while homes went without for days, raising questions about how utilities prioritize repairs and infrastructure spending.

This fits a broader pattern worth knowing about if you're weighing home energy upgrades. Data centers are consuming a fast-growing share of the country's electricity, and that demand is showing up in bills: the national average residential electricity rate hit 17.45 cents per kilowatt-hour in January 2026, up 9.5% from a year earlier. In Virginia, Dominion Energy proposed its first base-rate increase since 1992, adding about $8.51 a month, citing infrastructure needs driven partly by data centers. Rising rates and grid strain from extreme weather are two separate pressures, but they're pushing more homeowners toward solar and battery backup as a way to keep essentials like refrigeration, lights, and medical equipment running during outages.

None of this points to a specific rebate or deadline, but it's a reminder that grid reliability and cost pressures vary a lot by state and utility. If outages or rising rates are a concern where you live, it may be worth checking what backup or efficiency options are available in your area.