Wisconsin lawmaker pitches home energy upgrades to offset data center costs

Wisconsin lawmakers are engaged in ongoing discussions regarding legislation to regulate the state's rapidly growing data center industry, particularly concerning its significant energy demands. Efforts to pass such legislation failed in the previous session, but new proposals are emerging ahead of the next legislative cycle.

Democratic State Representative Supreme Moore Omokunde recently advocated for a new study by Green Homeowners United. This study suggests that enhancing the energy efficiency of nearly 40,000 Wisconsin homes could potentially offset the energy consumption of a 200-megawatt data center, comparable to Meta's facility in Beaver Dam. Omokunde stressed that Wisconsin residents should not bear the financial burden of "big tech's" energy costs, promoting home insulation and energy-efficient appliance upgrades as a swift solution that data centers could fund.

However, Republican State Representative David Steffen, who chairs the Committee on Energy and Utilities, expressed reservations about the efficacy of such conservation efforts. Steffen contended that while admirable, these projects would be insufficient to meet the "seismic" and "exponential" increase in energy demands projected from data centers and general economic growth. He emphasized the necessity of large-scale, base-load energy increases to support both economic development and environmental goals.

Despite their differing views on specific solutions, both Representatives Omokunde and Steffen concur that new legislation aimed at establishing regulations for data centers is anticipated to be introduced during the upcoming legislative session.