Energy bills expected to rise as summer temps climb

Americans across the country may face higher costs to beat the heat this summer and, according to a new forecast, those energy bills will climb nearly 8% compared to last year. 

They will have to fork over an average of $719 from June through September to cover energy bills this year, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) and the Center for Energy Poverty, and Climate (CEPC) projected Monday. That equates to almost $180 on average for each of those four months. 

Last year, U.S. cooling bills averaged $661 over the summer months, according to the NEADA and the CEPC.

Americans in three regions will have to contend with their cooling bills rising by double-digit percentages this summer, the groups projected. 

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People in the East South Central will incur energy bills of $774, up 10.1%. In the Mid-Atlantic and Pacific regions, energy bills are projected to climb 12.2% from last year, hitting $691 and $693, respectively, for June through September, according to the NEADA and CEPC. 

People ride the Staten Island Ferry on a warm late spring afternoon on June 3, 2024, in New York City. As temperatures around the world continue to break yearly heat records, New York City is planning ahead for extreme heat. In one initiative, the Ne (Spencer Platt/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The June-through-September cooling bills of Americans in other regions will, meanwhile, post single-digit percent increases. 

For example, New Englanders will face 5.3% higher cooling bills of $760 this summer, according to the forecast. Keeping cool will cost $858 in the West South Central (up 1.8%) and $581 in the East North Central (up 9.8%).

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The NEADA and the CEPC also warned low-income families faced a “heightened risk” from high temperatures “due to the higher likelihood that these families already live in heat islands, lack of access to affordable summer cooling, increasing electric costs, and funding cutbacks for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program” in fiscal 2024.

Their energy bill forecast came as the summer is expected to be a scorcher and some areas of the U.S. are getting battered by high temperatures this weekend.

Air conditioners in windows during a heat wave in New York, on Thursday, July 27, 2023. New York City and the Northeast are in for their hottest day of the year as oppressive temperatures descend on the eastern and central U.S., affecting about half (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center on Friday said excessive heat warnings and heat advisories had been issued for parts of Central and Southern California, the Southwest and the Great Basin. 

“Limit outdoor activity and stay hydrated,” the NWS Weather Prediction Center advised people in areas facing the high heat.

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