Google and Tesla know electricity is expensive. They’re teaming up to bring you an alternative.

A new coalition of tech companies and energy distributors, called Utilize, has been formed to work with regulators and lawmakers to improve electricity grid operations and lower costs for consumers. The coalition includes tech giants Google and Tesla, as well as HVAC company Carrier, data center builder Verrus, electrical panel startup Span, and energy distributors Renew Home and Sparkfund. They argue that "underutilization" of the electric grid is the reason why electricity bills have risen by 30% in recent years and are expected to keep increasing. The group cites a study by researchers at Duke University that found most regional electric systems are operating at just 53% capacity on average. Utilize sees battery storage and distributed energy resources as potential solutions to unlock this "excess capacity" and drive down costs. The coalition's first target is a grid-utilization bill in Virginia that has passed both legislative chambers and is awaiting the signature of Governor Abigail Spanberger. The group plans to push for similar bills in other states as part of their non-partisan, state-focused effort. Utilize also plans to release new research showing Americans could save up to $100 billion over a decade through their proposed system improvements. Companies like Google and Tesla are invested in the effort, as data centers powering their AI products are a major driver of rising electricity demand and costs.