Rising electricity costs and promotional deals from tech companies dominated recent headlines. Utilities across the nation requested a record $31 billion in rate hikes for 2025, while companies like Blue Apron, DoorDash, and Apple rolled out various discounts and subscription services.
The proposed utility rate increases, more than double the near-record requests from 2024, sparked consumer and political backlash, according to a report released January 29 by the nonprofit PowerLines. The increase is attributed to aging infrastructure, extreme weather events, natural gas price spikes, and the growing electricity demand from the data center construction surge. The U.S. Department of Energy reported that residential retail electricity prices increased 7% in 2025 alone, while piped gas prices rose 11% last year.
Meanwhile, several tech companies announced promotions and deals. Blue Apron offered discounts on their meal kit subscriptions, including up to $100 off for new customers over the first five weeks with free shipping on the first week. Wired reported that discounts of up to $4 per serving were available, depending on the number of meals ordered. Limited-time offers, such as $50 off the first two orders with specific promo codes for events like Valentine's Day and the Super Bowl, were also available.
DoorDash also offered various promotions, including discounts for new and existing users, NBA season deals, and weekly offers like BOGO deals and discounts on specific order amounts, according to multiple sources. These promotions aimed to incentivize customers to use DoorDash for food and alcohol delivery, offering savings on everything from first orders to large purchases.
Apple launched its new Creator Studio subscription bundle, offering access to 10 professional apps like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for a monthly or annual fee. Discounted rates were available for students and teachers, according to Ars Technica. While some apps remain available as standalone purchases, this subscription model provides continuous updates, drawing comparisons to Microsoft's Office approach rather than Adobe's exclusive subscription shift.
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