Federal forecasters expect record electricity demand in 2025–26, even as oil producers are carefully managing output. Yet the main reason your bill is climbing isn't just regional differences, it's rules. A thicket of tariffs on essential hardware, marathon permitting timelines, and clogged grid interconnection queues layer a "policy premium" onto every kilowatt-hour. In a textbook supply-and-demand sense, demand is racing ahead, driven by AI data centers and electrification, while policy squeezes supply. Worse, Washington keeps "choosing" technologies, inviting regulatory capture and raising costs for everyone. If we want the AI era to benefit households instead of draining their wallets, we need neutral, pro-entry rules that let the cheapest reliable electrons win.