As the nation sweats through another record hot summer, the extreme heat is raising utility bills along with the temperature.
Roughly 7 in 10 Americans say high heat impacted their electricity bills in minor to major ways in the past year, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 40% of the 1,143 adults surveyed nationwide in late July described getting hit with unexpected expenses on their utility bills due to storms, flooding, heat or wildfires. Twenty-two percent had to change or cancel travel plans because of severe weather, the survey also found.
The cost of cooling your home this summer was expected rise nearly 8% across the U.S. to an average of $719, up from $661 during the same period in 2023, according to projections from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the Center for Energy Poverty, and Climate.
Nearly 20% of low-income families lack air conditioning, which can pose a health risk in periods of high heat, according to the NEADA and CEPC report. In some cases, meanwhile, families may have AC but choose not to turn it on for fear of not being able to afford the electricity bill.
“Like walking into soup”
For North Carolina resident Levena Lindahl, summer now means covering windows with blackout curtains and closing off entire rooms to keep the monthly expense of electricity for air conditioning manageable. “Going upstairs, it’s like walking into soup. It is so hot,” Lindahl, 37, said.
Lindahl’s monthly electricity bill is about $200, doubling from years ago.
Jim Graham, 54, told the AP his monthly electricity bill now runs over $350 — even setting the thermostat to 80 degrees Fahrenheit — a big jump from what the Phoenix, Arizona, resident paid about a decade ago.
Generally speaking, people who don’t believe climate change is happening were less likely to say they’d been affected by extreme heat, the AP-NORC survey found. By contrast, about 8 in 10 Americans who believe climate change is occurring say extreme heat has had at least some impact on their electricity bills.
Retired engineer Mario Cianchetti, 70, installed solar panels and heat pumps in his home in Sedona, Arizona, to lower his electricity bills. “When you retire, you’re on a single fixed income. I didn’t want to have to deal with rising energy costs,” Cianchetti told the AP.
The planet was 2.66 degrees Fahrenheit (1.48 degrees Celsius) warmer in 2023 than it was in pre-industrial times, according to the European climate agency Copernicus. As temperatures unevenly fluctuate across the globe, the heat can be dangerous. Several U.S. regions set all-time temperature records this summer, and Las Vegas reached a scorching 120 degrees Fahrenheit on July 7.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report
