A new industry coalition, Utilize, has launched with the goal of lowering electricity rates by improving low utilisation of the U.S. power grid. Members include Tesla and Google, along with heating and air-conditioning equipment company Carrier, energy services company Sparkfund, smart distribution panel maker SPAN, data centre developer Verrus and home energy management system company Renew Home.

Electric vehicle outlet Electrek reported on March 10 that Utilize's central claim is that the power grid is not fully used for most of the time. An analysis by Duke University of power systems in 22 U.S. regions found the U.S. grid uses about 53% of total capacity on average.

The grid is built to handle extreme peak demand, but much capacity remains idle for most of the time. That leaves consumers paying higher electricity rates per kilowatt hour than necessary, Utilize says.

Research also supports the point. A Stanford University study found transmission lines in the western United States use about 18 to 52% of available capacity even at peak times, and average about 30%. Researchers analysed that existing grids alone could meet an additional 76 to 215 gigawatts of power demand.

Utilize estimates that fixing such inefficiencies could save more than $100 billion over 10 years, and up to $180 billion in some cases. The analysis is expected to be released soon through a study being conducted by global consulting firm The Brattle Group.

Why Tesla and Google joined Utilize is also a key point of interest. Some see the coalition participation as tied to corporate business strategies. Tesla is rapidly expanding its energy storage business. The company built a record 46.7 gigawatt hours of energy storage capacity in 2025, and energy business revenue is forecast to rise about 27% from a year earlier to $12.7 billion. It is also expanding grid demand management through a virtual power plant programme using its home battery, Tesla Powerwall.

Google is also seeing surging power demand as it expands AI data centres. Google recently invested $4.75 billion to secure power infrastructure for data centres, and U.S. data centre power demand is forecast to increase to 134.4 gigawatts in 2030 from 75.8 gigawatts in 2026.

Using idle grid capacity also matters for companies because it can connect large power demand such as data centres more quickly without building new power plants or transmission networks.

Utilize is also pursuing policy efforts and has produced results. A bill, SB 621/HB 434, that passed the Virginia legislature requires major power companies to measure and report grid utilisation, and is now awaiting the governor's signature.

Utilize plans to work with state governments to push policies that operate existing grids more efficiently using battery storage, demand response, virtual power plants and grid optimisation technologies. In the industry, some assessments say an approach to raise grid utilisation could be a realistic alternative that can address both lower electricity bills and a rise in power demand.