Demo · Energy & grid economics
Who pays if the data center leaves?
Utilities are building transmission and generation for data centers that may not stay for the 30-plus years those assets last. Large-load tariffs answer that risk with minimum bills, long contracts, exit fees and collateral. This calculator shows how much of the cost those protections keep off household bills, and when they run out.
Who ends up paying
Household cost by the year the data center leaves
How the calculator works
- The grid investment is recovered like any utility asset: a level annual payment over its life at the utility's cost of capital.
- While it operates, the data center pays demand charges sized to cover that annual payment at full contracted capacity, and never less than the minimum bill.
- If it leaves before the contract term ends, it owes an exit fee: the minimum monthly bill times the months left in the term, and at least 12 months. If it goes bankrupt, only the collateral is collected.
- Whatever isn't recovered becomes a stranded cost that other customers pay over the asset's remaining life, spread evenly across them.