Axios

UC-Berkeley resource economist Maximilian Auffhammer has a fun, informative rant on long and baffling power bills — and how to fix them.

Why it matters: Consumers should be able to decipher these things, especially as demand and prices rise and the grid mix changes.

Winter is getting warmer nearly nationwide amid climate change, an updated analysis finds.

Why it matters: Warmer winters can be a bummer for skiers and snowboarders, affect water supplies tied to annual snowmelt, and more.

Driving the news: From 1970 to 2025, average winter temperatures rose in 98% of the 244 U.S. cities analyzed in a new report from Climate Central, a climate research group.

• Among the cities with an increase, winter temperatures rose nearly 4°F on average.
• "Since 1970, the average number of warmer-than-normal winter days has increased in 97% of the 244 cities analyzed," the report adds.

Zoom in: Many of the cities with the most warming over the covered period are in places with traditionally cold winters, including Burlington, Vermont (+8.1°F); Milwaukee, Wisconsin (+7.3°F) and Green Bay, Wisconsin (+7°F).

Between the lines: 'The most rapid warming in the U.S. has generally occurred when and where it's coldest — including at night, in northern parts of the country, and during winter," the group adds.

How it works: Climate Central's analysis is based on NOAA data covering December, January and February of each year included.

What's next: NOAA's latest winter outlook is calling for an elevated chance of below-normal temperatures for parts of the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies and Midwest.

• There's an elevated chance of above-normal temperatures across parts of the South, Southwest, Southeast and mid-Atlantic.

Research firm BloombergNEF sees U.S. power demand from data centers reaching 106 gigawatts by 2035, per an analysis issued Monday.

Why it matters: That's a 36% upward revision from its April outlook, "illustrating just how quickly the sector is expanding," the analysis said.

Bill Gates says he would support deploying artificial cooling technologies to lower global temperatures — but only if the planet hits so-called climate tipping points.

Why it matters: The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist is a major funder of research into this controversial technology, and his comments in a recent interview with Axios are among his most expansive yet.