Sales for this $69 portable AC unit are up 25,000% — here's what shoppers are saying

If you're tossing and turning at night thanks to rising summer temperatures, you're not alone. With heatwaves sweeping across the country and air conditioning units flying off the shelves, shoppers are turning to more affordable, space-saving options to stay cool. Enter this portable air conditioning fan, which is currently surging in popularity on Amazon Canada.
Sales have surged a jaw-dropping 25,000 per cent, landing it a top spot on the retailer's Movers & Shakers list — and it's not hard to see why. Small but mighty, this baby offers instant relief without the hefty price tag or complicated installation, making it a must-have for bedrooms, offices, dorms and anywhere you need extra airflow.
Shoppers say this AC unit is "perfect for small spaces."
This portable air conditioner is a compact 3-in-1 device that delivers serious cooling power in a small, easy-to-use package. Acting as an air cooler, fan and humidifier, it's designed to sit comfortably on desks, countertops or bedside tables, making it ideal for personal use in bedrooms, offices, dorms or small apartments. Just fill the 1100ml water tank, plug it in and enjoy an instant, refreshing breeze.
With three fan speeds, three mist settings (including an ice option for extra chill) and a timer, it offers customizable comfort that can run continuously for up to 8–10 hours without the need for constant refills. While it's not meant to cool your entire home, its lightweight and portable design makes it easy to move from room to room.
Thought it couldn't get any better? The unit also comes with a remote control that works from up to 16 feet away, so you can adjust settings without getting up!
🧊 40+ reviews
⭐ 4.9/5 stars
🏅 "Cools the room down so quickly!"
More than 500 Amazon shoppers purchased this portable AC unit in the past month, and now, the reviews are pouring in. Customers love how easy it is to set up and use — just fill the water tank, plug it in and enjoy the cooling mist.
'Super easy to use and perfect for small spaces,' one reviewer wrote. 'This mini air conditioner surprised me with its impressive power for its size!"
Others praise its portability and quiet operation: 'I have it on a basic low setting, it is very quiet — I don't need to turn up the TV and it keeps me cool all night.'
Some even say it's become "a summer essential" for working from home: 'Works great on my desk and it makes afternoon meetings way more bearable.'
Sales for this customer favourite are up 25,000 per cent.
While most shoppers are thrilled with their purchase, a few reviewers pointed out that the unit's reliance on a USB cable for power can be a drawback. One user noted, 'The only limitation is it always needs to be connected to a power outlet through a USB cable, which limits the placement a bit.'
With sales skyrocketing and rave reviews, this portable mini AC might just be the summer upgrade your space needs, especially if you don't want to splurge on a full unit or install anything permanent.
And for $70, it's a simple, sleek solution to beat the heat. But with numbers like these, we wouldn't be surprised if it sells out soon.
⭐️ 4/5 stars
💬 5,000+ reviews
Like having your own personal cooling system on wheels, this unit functions as an air conditioner, fan and dehumidifier, so you can stay cool and dry even on the stickiest summer days. With a modern look and handy remote control, it's a stylish and convenient way to beat the heat without breaking a sweat.
⭐️ 4./5 stars
💬 48,000+ reviews
This powerful unit is a total game-changer that keeps you cool in the summer and cozy in the winter. With its easy-to-read LED display and remote control, adjusting the temperature is just one click away.
⭐️ 4.6/5 stars
💬 600+ reviews
This compact cooler is like a personal breeze machine, turning stuffy summer air into a refreshing mist with just the push of a button. Plus, it includes ice packs and reviewers note that 'set up is a breeze!'
⭐️ 4.1/5 stars
💬 1,200+ reviews
Designed to cool large spaces quickly and efficiently, this programmable unit delivers icy relief exactly where you need it. Shoppers love its Arctic Whisper Extreme Technology, which provides powerful performance while staying impressively quiet, so it gets the job done without drawing attention for the wrong reasons.
⭐️ 4.6/5 stars
💬 100+ reviews
Small but surprisingly powerful, this portable air cooler does it all. Acting as a mini air conditioner, cooling fan, air humidifier and even an LED night light, it runs quietly and efficiently to keep you cool and comfortable no matter how hot it gets outside.
⭐️ 4.5/5 stars
💬 110+ reviews
Delivering the best of both worlds, this heat wave hero combines the power of a tower fan with the cooling comfort of an air conditioner. It features four wind speeds, customizable mist settings, a built-in air purifier and a sleek touchscreen interface for effortless control. Whether you're looking to cool down, clean the air or add a bit of moisture to dry spaces, this all-in-one has you covered.
⭐️ 4.3/5 stars
💬 970+ reviews
This portable unit delivers ice-cold air circulation with wide coverage and an oscillating fan for even cooling. With included ice packs, multiple fan settings and a quiet sleep mode, you can enjoy refreshing comfort without ever sacrificing a good night's sleep.
⭐️ 4.1/5 stars
💬 40+ reviews
Uneven airflow is about to be a thing of the past. This baby delivers 1.5-2X higher wind speeds and ensures full room coverage in minutes. In addition to its many features, the included ice boxes are filled with a unique cooling gel that stays cooler for longer and drops water temps by 8-12°C.
⭐️ 5/5 stars
💬 70+ reviews
Don't be fooled by its size — stay cool anywhere with this mini air cooler that works tirelessly. With three adjustable fan speeds and 60° vertical oscillation, it provides icy cold air precisely where you need it, whether that's your desk, bedroom or office.

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Early July 4th Deals: Save Hundreds at Amazon, Best Buy, Target and More Before The Holiday Weekend

Retailers like Best Buy, Walmart and Amazon are gearing up for the July 4th, even though we are still a few weeks away from the holiday weekend. But in anticipation of this occasion, some companies have already released some fantastic deals. If you're anticipating July 4th sales, you're probably also tracking Prime Day. This sales event also occurs in July, on July 8th, to be exact. So, there will be plenty of opportunities to snag all of the items on your summer wish list at a discount. These deals will save you tons on TVs, laptops and outdoor items. It also includes your favorite brands, like Apple and Anker. Just make sure to dive into the offers quickly because these pre-holiday sales may not last long. Don't forget to check back often because we're constantly updating this page as items sell out or new deals become available. Early July 4th tech deals These are the best tech deals we've found so far among the early Fourth of July sales. We've spotted deals on some of our favorite TVs, tablets and more. Insignia 50-Inch F50 4K Smart TV: $180 This TV has a great size, loads of features and a good picture. It's also 40% off right now, so getting it for $180 is a chance you shouldn't miss. Details Save $120 $180 at Amazon Close Apple M3 MacBook Air 13-inch laptop: $899 We named the M3 MacBook Air the overall best laptop of 2024, and this discount makes it even sweeter to upgrade to a model with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, an 18-hour battery life, 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. Details Save $200 $899 at Best Buy Close More early July 4 tech deals: Early July 4th home and kitchen deals Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum cleaner: $350 Dyson has often earned spots on our list of best vacuums, and the V8 Plus model is perfect for tackling dust and debris. If you've been considering an upgrade, don't sleep on this vacuum deal -- the V8 is now just $350, the lowest price we've seen. Details Save $120 $350 at Amazon Close Ring Battery Doorbell: $50 The Ring Battery Doorbell is an excellent way to add a bit more security and convenience to your home. And it's now half off if you're a Prime member, which is a great deal. Details Save $50 $50 at Amazon Close Ninja Creami ice cream maker: $169 Make your own ice cream concoctions at home with the viral Ninja Creami, thanks to this rare discount. It's easy to use and makes restaurant-quality frozen desserts with the click of a button. Details Save $30 $169 at Walmart Close More early July 4 home and kitchen deals: Early July 4th mattress deals Now is a great time to upgrade your mattress and score a great deal. Here are our favorite mattress deals to shop during early Fourth of July sales. Nectar mattresses Score a new mattress for as low as $349, plus 66% off bundles. Choose from tons of styles and designs. Details Up to 50% off mattresses See at Nectar Close Mattress Firm You can get up to 20% off adjustable bases and up to 60% off Mattress Firm's bestsellers. Pillows and sheets are also 20% off. Details Save up to 60% See at Mattress Firm Close DreamCloud DreamCloud is offering some significant savings, offering up to 60% off mattresses. (So, you could potentially score a mattress for as low as $299) Plus, you can also save $599 with the included accessories and get 66% off bundles. Details Save up to 60% on mattresses See at DreamCloud Close More early Fourth of July mattress deals: Early July 4th outdoor deals Upgrade your backyard or prep for your next summer camping trip with these hot early Fourth of July outdoor deals. Solo Stove sales Solo Stove, which offers a wide selection of fire pits and accessories, is currently offering up to $230 off bundles. In addition to fire pits and accessories, the company also has pizza ovens and other outdoor goodies, including furniture. 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Fourth of July sales often tend to hang around for a few days before and after the holiday. Amazon also announced that its next Prime Day will take place from July 8 to 11, so the two sales may blend. Where are the best pre-July 4th sales? Fourth of July sales offer some of the best prices on tech, appliances, mattresses and fashion, making it a great time to snag stellar prices on must-have items, and there are a ton of retailers still participating in the holiday savings. Unsurprisingly, Amazon is usually one of the best places to buy since it sells products from almost all major brands across these popular categories, making it a tremendous one-stop shop for all of your Fourth of July buys. Outside of Amazon, we recommend checking out appliance and tech sales at Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowe's, as well as holiday sales on a large variety of categories at Walmart, Target and Nordstrom, among others. Should I shop July 4th sales or wait for Prime Day deals? 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Disney Just Struck a Deal with Amazon. Should You Buy DIS Stock Here?

Disney (DIS) has reportedly formed a partnership with e-commerce giant and cloud services titan Amazon (AMZN) to enhance ad targeting for streaming television. Under this partnership, Amazon's Demand Side Platform (DSP) will have access to Disney's content library. Commenting on the partnership, which is expected to launch in the third quarter of this year, Matt Barnes, vice president of programmatic sales at Disney Advertising, sounded optimistic, 'By building a direct path connecting Amazon's commerce insights to the full scale of Disney's streaming ecosystem, we're enabling greater accessibility to inventory and audience signals that translate into meaningful results for advertisers leveraging Amazon DSP.' Dear Tesla Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 30 3 ETFs with Dividend Yields of 12% or Higher for Your Income Portfolio This Options Tool Can Show You How to Trade Tesla Stock Ahead of Robotaxi Day Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, analysis, and headlines. Now, although this is a positive development and makes the case for owning Disney stock even stronger, there are many more compelling reasons to own the 'House of the Mouse.' One of the most recognized global entertainment conglomerates, Disney's operations span across media, TV & cable networks, streaming platforms, and experiences. Disney owns vastly popular intellectual property such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mickey Mouse, and Star Wars, among others. Commanding a market cap of $211.9 billion, DIS stock is up about 5.6% on a YTD basis and 15.5% over the past year. While the stock currently offers a dividend yield of 0.85%, Disney's payout ratio of just 15.8% leaves enough room for growth. Disney continues to demonstrate meaningful operational momentum under CEO Bob Iger, with recent results pointing to a sustained recovery. Since Iger resumed his role, the entertainment giant has posted compound annual growth rates of 7.07% in revenue and 43.76% in earnings, an indication that the restructuring efforts are beginning to deliver. Notably, in the second quarter of its fiscal 2025, Disney reported a top-line beat with revenue reaching $23.6 billion, up 6.8% from the year-ago period. The company also returned to profitability, swinging from a loss of $0.01 per share last year to earnings of $1.81 per share this quarter, comfortably surpassing analyst expectations. Cash flow metrics came in strong. Operating cash flow surged to $6.8 billion, up from $3.7 billion in the same quarter last year, while free cash flow rose to $4.9 billion from $2.4 billion. Overall, Disney's liquidity position remained solid as the company closed the quarter with a cash balance of $5.95 billion. Looking ahead, analyst consensus points to forward revenue growth of 4.1% and earnings growth of 16%, both of which outpace the sector median estimates of 3.24% and 11.33%. With operational metrics trending higher and renewed investor confidence, Disney appears to be regaining its footing in the post-pandemic media landscape. In this recent piece, I analyzed how Disney has opted for a two-pronged strategy to be on a sustainable growth path in the coming years. Headlined by its expansion in the physical realm, Disney is also making strategic moves in the digital space to streamline its offerings, along with undertaking new initiatives to develop new content. Meanwhile, Disney has also agreed to take full control of the streaming platform Hulu by paying Comcast (CMCSA) an additional $439 million. In Q2, total paid subscribers at Hulu were at 54.7 million, an increase of 9% from the previous year. Average monthly revenue per paid subscriber also increased slightly in the same period to $112.30, with popular shows like The Bear, Only Murders in the Building, and The Handmaid's Tale grabbing eyeballs and driving growth. Further strengthening Disney's overall performance, the theatrical distribution segment recently received a significant boost from the unexpected box office success of Lilo & Stitch. Encouragingly, even prior to this release, the business had already shown signs of momentum. In addition, Disney is setting the stage for another potential revenue catalyst with the planned rollout of a dedicated ESPN streaming platform. This new service would consolidate content from the traditional ESPN television channel, its existing subscription-based ESPN+ offering, and possibly include user-generated videos, creating a hybrid model somewhat akin to YouTube. Given ESPN+ already boasts more than 25 million subscribers, this expanded platform could generate substantial new revenue streams. Beyond subscriptions, additional upside could come from advertising, collaborations with sports betting operators, and other ancillary monetization channels. Altogether, Disney's approach, marked by thoughtful investments, adaptive pricing, and forward-looking leadership, places the company in a strong position to continue driving long-term shareholder value. Overall, analysts have attributed a rating of 'Strong Buy' for Disney stock with a mean target price of $126.69, which denotes upside potential of about 7.7% from current levels. Out of 29 analysts covering the stock, 21 have a 'Strong Buy' rating, two have a 'Moderate Buy' rating, and six have a 'Hold' rating. On the date of publication, Pathikrit Bose did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Sign in to access your portfolio

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Big Tech promised jobs. Cities gave millions. Where are the workers?

Columbus, Ohio, escaped the Rust Belt rut years ago. Regional economic development officials offered incentives that attracted warehouses, manufacturing plants, and healthcare startups, reviving the economy and generating jobs. By 2018, hundreds of these deals over the previous eight years had created some 150,000 jobs. Central Ohio now hopes to repeat that success. It's betting big on "Silicon Heartland," a high-tech innovation hub that proponents hope will be flush with high-paying jobs. Economic officials have dangled multimillion-dollar tax subsidy packages before some of the world's biggest technology companies. The resulting investment, Gov. Mike DeWine promised, "further cements Ohio as the heart of our nation's technology and innovation." Mostly, they're getting data centers. Central Ohio has become one of America's hottest hubs for these computing warehouses, with companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, and QTS flocking there, lured largely by generous incentives. The problem: Data centers, which operate largely autonomously, don't produce many lasting full-time jobs. A Business Insider analysis of construction permits, economic development deals, and company disclosures found that even the largest data centers generally employ fewer than 150 permanent workers, and some have as few as 25. Building those data centers also creates significant numbers of construction jobs, but those are short term, sometimes lasting less than a year — far shorter than the duration of the tax breaks the companies get, which often last a decade or longer. That means the tax breaks given to developers can amount over time to more than $2 million for every permanent, full-time job at an operational data center, Business Insider's analysis found. That's roughly eight times higher than the $262,000 average per job that watchdog group Good Jobs First found in 18 economic development deals worth at least $50 million awarded in 2023. The number of jobs doesn't balance the cost, multiple economists and researchers who study tax subsidies told Business Insider — even factoring in the construction and other supporting roles that the tech industry uses to calculate its economic impact. Records show that the workforce on data center projects quickly tapers off, meaning industry estimates often significantly overstate long-term employment benefits. The costs to the public don't end with tax subsidies. Data centers drive up electricity costs for other ratepayers as utility operators invest billions of dollars in new grid infrastructure to support escalating power demands. That has drawn opposition from other companies including retail giant Walmart, which has said that surging electricity bills are imperiling its expansion in states such as Ohio and Virginia. Industry advocates argue the deals are worth it. "Each new data center built in Ohio spurs a significant boost in investment, revenue, and wages that flow to Ohio businesses and workers, stimulating the state's economy," Josh Levi, the president of the Data Center Coalition, an industry advocacy group, wrote in an August 2024 op-ed article published by In recent US congressional testimony, he cited an estimate that data centers in Central Ohio supported more than "10,000 construction jobs, 2,000 data center jobs, and hundreds of maintenance and retrofitting jobs last year." Drilling into the terms of specific economic development deals suggests a more complicated picture. In 2021, for example, Google entered into a much-celebrated deal with Columbus to construct a data center campus. The city offered a 100% property tax abatement worth an estimated $54 million in tax savings over 15 years. In exchange, the Google facility promised 20 full-time jobs at the data center, rising to about 40 jobs by 2047. Artificial intelligence is accelerating data center construction that already was growing quickly to power digital services from social media to medical care. In 2025 alone, Meta plans to spend at least $64 billion on facilities and equipment. Google's parent company, Alphabet, plans to spend $75 billion, and Microsoft said it would invest $80 billion. Tech companies say their investments will supercharge local tax revenues and high-paying jobs will drive economic growth. Even with tax breaks, data centers contributed $162.7 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue in 2023, according to a February 2025 PwC report prepared for the Data Center Coalition. The industry, the report said, supported 4.7 million jobs directly at data centers or indirectly through their supply chain. Amazon, the biggest data center operator, calculates that its data centers each year have supported thousands of jobs, including 4,760 in Ohio and 19,110 in Virginia. Matt Hurst, a spokesperson for Amazon Web Services, Amazon's cloud-computing arm, told Business Insider the company was "proud of the good jobs we create, for the trust local communities invest in us, and for the opportunity we have to invest in those communities." Meta says that its data center operations support 16,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in labor income annually, and that it has backed 440,000 construction jobs over the past decade. Google says its data centers supported 119,000 jobs and contributed $12.6 billion to US gross domestic product in 2023 across its supply chain, including construction. Microsoft's website says its data centers generate "public infrastructure improvements and tax revenue that serve as a catalyst for enhancing the quality of life." "Our developments generate millions of dollars in tax revenue to support local priorities related to schools, roads, housing, and other critical needs, while also reducing the tax burden on residents," a spokesperson for QTS, which is owned by the investment firm Blackstone, said in a statement. A Blackstone spokesperson also highlighted the benefits of data center development and said the company was "proud that our investment in QTS provides the digital infrastructure critical to the future of our country and economy." Competition to score these promised benefits can be a race to the bottom, as developers pit state against state and city against city. New projects cluster in areas that offer the most competitive deals. To investigate how these incentive deals play out, Business Insider identified areas of data center development and filed requests with all 50 states and Washington, DC, for the air permits that regulate backup generators at every data center. Business Insider compiled records for 1,240 data centers nationwide, the most definitive accounting to date, and requested records of data-center-related economic incentives from municipalities and states. The largest data centers in Business Insider's analysis — the 322 massive facilities that we estimate consume 40 megawatts of electricity or more each — are heavily concentrated in a few places. Northern Virginia has 214, followed by Arizona's Maricopa County with 16, and Ohio's Columbus region with 9. Thirty-seven states have tax incentive programs for data center investments. Most exempt developers from sales and use taxes on building materials, machinery, or equipment — resulting in big hits to state coffers. In Virginia, 56 data center projects cost $928 million in abated state sales tax in the 2023 fiscal year alone. Disclosures in Ohio estimate it forfeited nearly $360 million in data-center-related state tax revenue from the 2022 through 2024 fiscal years. Mason Waldvogel, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Development, called the tax incentive program "a strategic tool used to create long-term economic growth by attracting high-value, capital-intensive projects." A spokesperson for the Data Center Coalition said state tax exemptions for data centers were consistent with programs for other capital-intensive industries. Cities also offer incentives, including breaks on property taxes and reimbursements for building fees. Arizona cities largely don't give property tax abatements but allow the use of precious water resources. Virginia grants access to enormous amounts of electricity and critical infrastructure but requires data centers to pay local property taxes. Indeed, Northern Virginia cities generate up to 31% of their total tax revenue from data centers, funding fire departments, affordable housing, and other services. In the Columbus region, Business Insider located 19 data center-related deals that, together with state-level abatements, amounted to at least $750 million in forfeited tax revenue for 770 full-time jobs employed at data centers as of December 2023. The jobs generally pay well, averaging $100,000 a year in Central Ohio, according to company disclosures. At the Google data center in Columbus, salaries range from $74,000 for a data center technician to $162,000 for an operations manager. Amazon tops the list with seven deals. In one, the northwest Columbus suburb of Dublin agreed to sell Amazon 66 acres, which the city valued at $100,000 an acre, for $1 in total. Amazon agreed to pay the farmers previously leasing the land up to $40,000 total to abandon their soybeans and corn crops and terminate the lease. It told Dublin it expected to hire 25 full-time workers by the end of 2018, a nonbinding projection. In contrast, Amazon projected that it would hire 1,000 Ohioans at a new fulfillment center in Canton several years later — without taking any local property tax abatements or state incentives. Amazon's Hurst said the company works hard to create every job it projects. The deals keep coming, from Batavia, New York, to Meridian, Mississippi. Nathan M. Jensen, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies regional tax incentive programs, said cities are better off sitting these deals out. Communities throw everything they can at tech companies, yet when the costs of lost tax revenue and escalating electricity prices are factored against what the communities get back in jobs, revenue, and prestige, "there's just no evidence that you're going to benefit from that data center," he said. If data center developers threaten to walk from cities that refuse to compete for these deals, Jensen's advice is blunt: "Let 'em walk." Jensen said data centers were shaping up like professional sports stadiums, where cities give millions in tax revenue savings in exchange for temporary construction jobs and minimal economic impact. Construction of data centers generally lasts one to two years, or sometimes longer, and many construction jobs run for only part of that period. In Virginia, one analysis found that about 80% of jobs from data centers created over a recent two-year period were in construction. And the numbers of such data-center-supported jobs cited in this year's Data Center Coalition report may be misleading, multiple economists and researchers who study incentives told Business Insider. Timothy Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, a not-for-profit organization focused on reducing unemployment, said his own study suggests job numbers in the high-tech sector, like data centers, could be less than half of industry estimates. Microsoft estimated last year that a campus with six data centers that it is building outside Cheyenne, Wyoming, would have 1,005 jobs at peak construction, falling to 335 full-time employees and contractors by the end of next year. At a construction project in Columbus for the data center operator Cologix, one contractor, Baker Concrete Construction, had 63 people on payroll. Those jobs lasted an average of 6 ½ weeks. Cologix said that overall the site had an average of 146 workers during the project's construction. Incentive packages often spell out how many jobs a company commits to creating in exchange for its tax breaks. Data center companies generally commit to deliver only the jobs inside their facilities in exchange for their tax breaks — not the construction and other ancillary jobs they say their projects create. Based on what is actually promised in such deals, those jobs can be expensive for local governments. Business Insider identified five deals in Ohio where, as of December 2023, each long-term job in the data centers cost over $1 million in abated taxes over the life of the deal. An Amazon data center in Hilliard had saved at least $195 million in state and local taxes as of December 2023, according to annual disclosures, driving the price of each job to over $1 million in abated taxes. New Albany, Ohio, garnered 98 jobs at a Meta data center, but forfeited $189.6 million in state and local taxes as of the end of 2023 — making each job worth about $1.9 million in foregone tax revenue. "We disagree with this way of thinking about the benefits we bring to communities," Amazon's Hurst said, adding that it benefits communities in ways beyond direct job creation, such as spending with local businesses and funding job-training efforts. A Meta spokesperson said it helps communities where it operates through grants and partnerships. The Data Center Coalition spokesperson said that focusing on jobs inside data centers understates the impact on service providers and suppliers, such as electricians, HVAC manufacturers, and portable sanitation companies. Companies are still required to make yearly payments to the cities in lieu of property taxes to help ensure minimum contributions to the communities, which Business Insider incorporated into our cost-per-job calculations. Meta, for example, paid $21.8 million in total to New Albany as of December 2022. A spokesperson for New Albany said the payments ensure "data centers contribute meaningfully to the community, even with tax abatements in place." And tech companies often sweeten the deals by promising to invest in education programs to upskill local workers. Amazon, for example, donated $25,000 and some equipment two years ago to the Tolles Career & Technical Center in Plain City, Ohio, to support the school's IT and cybersecurity training programs, which include a four-week training program for entry-level data center workers. At the nearby Columbus State Community College, the company pledged $50,000 in scholarships for a new data center technician certificate program. The ultrapowerful computer chips crammed into data centers consume enormous amounts of power. A 2024 Department of Energy report estimates their electricity use, driven by the AI boom, could soon command as much as 12% of total US electricity use, from just over 4% in 2023. Data centers are getting breaks on that, too — which residents and other businesses are helping pay for. From 2020 through last year, Ohio data centers' load on the grid rose sixfold. By 2030, American Electric Power Ohio, the state's largest electricity provider, expects to grow by another 700% to reach 5,000 megawatts, enough to power at least 2 million homes. If all hookup requests across more than 90 planned data center sites in Ohio are approved, AEP Ohio told regulators, demand could skyrocket to over 30,000 megawatts. Since 2017, Ohio regulators have authorized multiple 10-year electricity rate subsidies for data center developers, reducing power costs for tech companies in exchange for their promises of new jobs. Other AEP customers have to pay for the shortfall. Matt Schilling, a spokesperson for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, said in an email to Business Insider that while the commission had approved some discounted rates for data centers, it had denied other applications for such arrangements. At the same time, AEP has proposed spending at least $850 million in new or upgraded grid infrastructure and power plants to serve data centers, and another $350 million in other upgrades to support Central Ohio's extreme demand growth, according to filings. Ratepayers across Ohio foot the bill for this too, as AEP spreads the costs across all customers. Walmart, one of Ohio's largest employers, said last June that an increasingly expensive electricity bill — owing partly to data centers' demand — imperiled its continued expansion in the state. That warning came in a filing supporting the utility's recent proposition to increase tariffs and regulations on data center customers. A Data Center Coalition representative warned regulators in 2024 that those proposed tariffs and restrictions in Ohio could "depress the growth of an important emerging industry." The rate case remains ongoing. Regulators across the US have offered similar deals to subsidize data centers' electricity use, shifting billions of dollars of costs to all ratepayers, including residential customers. Regulators last year OK'd Georgia Power to construct an estimated $300 million 35-mile high-voltage transmission line and a new substation for a QTS data center near Atlanta. And this year, South Carolina regulators authorized Duke Energy to invest $66.5 million to upgrade a transmission line to serve a new QTS data center. The utilities will recoup their investments by increasing electricity bills for all their customers. Duke Energy said it follows federal rules in allocating upgrade costs. South Carolina's regulator declined to comment and Georgia Power and that state's regulator didn't respond. A QTS spokesperson said it pays for all utility infrastructure dedicated to its data centers "to ensure no impact to residential rates." "Utilities can fund discounts to Big Tech by socializing their costs through electricity prices charged to the public," a 2025 Harvard Law study of regulatory proceedings about utility rates for data centers found. Utilities profit, the study said, by "forcing the public to pay for infrastructure designed to supply a handful of exceedingly wealthy corporations." Amazon, Microsoft, and Google told Business Insider they were committed to paying their full share for infrastructure serving their power needs. Tech companies and industry advocates say that other factors, such as electric vehicles, also are driving electricity growth and that the transition to renewable power drives up electricity costs. To estimate the amount of power data centers demand nationwide, Business Insider used data from the air permits issued to data center backup generators. (See here for more on Business Insider's methodology.) If every data center that's been issued a permit comes online, Business Insider estimates data centers' total electricity use across the country could reach between 149.6 terawatt-hours and 239.3 terawatt-hours a year. Business Insider's low-end estimate is roughly equivalent to the state of Ohio's electricity needs in 2023, and on the high end, is nearly as much power as the entire state of Florida used that same year. A 2024 federal report estimated US data centers' electricity use could reach the high end of Business Insider's estimate by 2026. A 2024 report to Virginia's legislature found that data centers had historically paid their fair share of transmission upgrade costs but warned their sharply escalating electricity needs "will likely increase system costs for all customers, including non-data center customers." Last July, Dominion Energy, Virginia's largest utility provider, asked regulators to approve a $23 million grid infrastructure investment billed across ratepayers, a request that is still pending. Regulatory staff said the investment was likely needed just for a single data center customer. Months later, Dominion disclosed that it would need to roughly double its electricity generation by 2039 primarily to meet meteoric data center demand and new planned renewable energy capacity. Dominion estimates the planned expansion could cost up to $103 billion, increasing residential electricity bills by as much as 50%. Aaron Ruby, a Dominion spokesperson, told Business Insider that the company had asked regulators to approve additional consumer protections to shield ratepayers from shouldering costs incurred by large customers like data centers. The planned increase in power bills is primarily driven by the utility's transition to carbon-free power generation, as is required by state law, Ruby wrote. In Virginia, too, Walmart objected. "Electricity is a significant operating cost for retailers such as Walmart," Lisa Perry, Walmart's director of utility partnerships, told regulators in February 2025, warning that increasing electricity rates would harm Walmart's investment in Virginia. Andy Farmer, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Corporation Commission, said that data centers affected all the state's utilities, not just Dominion. Data centers' ballooning power consumption leaves other businesses, residents, and utility regulators in a bind: Either pay to expand capacity for the tech companies, or risk going without enough power to attract other new business. In Indiana, the River Ridge Property Owners' Association in Clark County told state regulators in 2024 that a single Meta data center project had bled nearly all remaining power from the grid. Meta promised at least 50 high-paying permanent jobs at the site and hundreds of construction jobs, but the community would have no available electricity to attract other prospective companies investing in the area for at least four years. "It is possible these data centers ultimately restrict, rather than foster, additional economic development," a representative of the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, a consumer and environmental advocacy organization, told state regulators. By 2030, the representative said, "just a few" data centers used for applications like AI will use "more electricity than all 6.8 million Hoosiers use at their homes." Walmart representatives told Ohio regulators last year that data centers' massive electricity use threatened the company's planned rollout of electric vehicle charging locations at its retail locations. "Growth in data center development is an economic boon for Ohioans," Google representatives told regulators this year, adding that the facilities were "pivotal in establishing the state as a leading technology hub." Walmart argues that it brings more jobs and other benefits to the local economy — a claim supported by research from AEP Ohio. The utility calculated that each megawatt allocated to traditional commercial and industrial customers like Walmart supported at least 25 jobs. Every megawatt used by a data center, the utility said, supports less than one job. About the data: Business Insider used air permits issued to data center backup generators to identify facility location and ownership, and estimate facility power use. We received permits from all but four states, plus Washington, DC. Read more about how we investigated the impact of data center growth here. Reporting: Hannah Beckler, Dakin Campbell, Daniel Geiger, Rosemarie Ho, Narimes Parakul, Adam Rogers, Ellen Thomas Editing: Jeffrey Cane, Rosalie Chan, Jason Dean, Esther Kaplan, Jake Swearingen Research: Darren Ankrom, Schuyler Mitchell, Trey Strange, Yuheng Zhan Design and visuals: Dan DeLorenzo, Isabel Fernandez-Pujol, Jinpeng Li, Kim Nguyen, Randy Yeip, Rebecca Zisser Photography: Kendrick Brinson, John David-Richardson, Greg Kahn, Brian Palmer, Jesse Rieser Video: Robert Leslie, Gary Moon, Marco Secci Copy editing: Mark Abadi, Kevin Kaplan Read the original article on Business Insider