Across the United States, people are getting worried about rising electricity bills. From Northern Virginia’s tech centers to small towns in Texas, residents are showing up at local meetings to protest new data centers.
Many believe that the digital economy is now directly hurting their wallets. In response, politicians are rushing to propose new rules and taxes on energy-hungry industries.
But they are missing a key truth. While public anger targets Bitcoin [BTC], most grid pressure now comes from fast-growing AI data centers.
According to crypto investment firm Paradigm, Bitcoin is blamed mainly because it is unpopular and misunderstood.
However, in reality, Bitcoin works very differently from AI, and rising power prices won’t be solved by targeting the wrong industry.
Remarking on the same, Paradigm noted,
“Policymakers should use bitcoin mining as a tool, not a threat. And if you’re worried about crypto having a bad impact on energy usage, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”
Perception vs. reality
Senate Democrats, groups like Earthjustice, and some media reports blame crypto mining for high electricity costs, with some even comparing Bitcoin’s energy use to entire countries.
But the data tells a different story. Bitcoin uses only about 0.23% of global electricity and produces around 0.08% of global emissions, far less than many industries.
At the same time, AI data centers are expected to double or triple their energy use by 2028.
Bitcoin’s energy use is also limited by design. Past claims that it would consume more energy than the planet were wrong; in 2020, it used just 0.046% of global power.
Why Bitcoin helps the grid, while AI strains it
The key difference between Bitcoin mining and AI data centers is flexibility.
AI centers need constant power and cannot afford outages. Bitcoin miners, however, use cheap electricity and shut down when prices rise.
They mainly operate during low-demand hours, use extra renewable energy, and power off during emergencies to support the grid. In Texas, this even cut grid support costs by 74% in one year.
Overall, Bitcoin adapts to the grid, while AI data centers place constant pressure on it.
Bitcoin mining data looks positive
Meanwhile, after a major drop in mining revenue at the end of January, the industry has already started to recover in February.
There was a short dip over 24 hours, when revenue fell from $43.00 on 15th February to $37.60 on 16th February. Even so, the overall trend for the month remains upward.
Source: Glassnode
A longer-term cooling also matches these short-term ups and downs. Bitcoin’s mining difficulty has been falling steadily since it reached a record high in November 2025.
Source: Glassnode
When difficulty goes down, miners need less computing power and less energy to operate. This lowers the pressure on the power grid during this period.
With Bitcoin trading at levels that threaten miner profitability and revenue facing fresh 24-hour slides, the industry is entering a strategic fight for survival.
Instead of increasing energy demand, miners may stabilize the grid by powering down or shifting their energy toward AI infrastructure that is driving prices up.
Final Summary
- Unlike AI centers that require constant power, Bitcoin miners are flexible and can shut down when electricity is scarce or expensive.
- Targeting Bitcoin with strict regulations may weaken one of the few industries that actively help balance the power grid.