Longer and hotter summers are increasing the cost of cooling homes, threatening to leave low-income people unable to afford air conditioning as temperatures skyrocket because of climate change.
A report released Monday by a group representing state energy officials says the average U.S. electric bill could hit $720 this summer — more than 50 percent higher than in 2014 — largely because global warming is intensifying heat and forcing people to use more air conditioning.
In the mid-Atlantic and Pacific Coast, electric bills are expected to go up 12 percent this year alone.
“Usage is going up. This is not going to change … unless something is done about rising temperatures,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.
