(VitalNews.org) – One effect of climate change that many Americans are experiencing is the rising temperatures. These high temperatures are hurting the pockets of many Americans who are dealing with high utility bills as a result of these high temperatures.
Over half of the United States residents can expect to have a higher utility bill, as well as other related costs, as the intense heat drives higher energy consumption. The Bank of America Institute has found that the average American spends about three hundred dollars on these utilities, which is up 25% from what was recorded five years ago.
The authors of the report said “As climate events and conditions continue to grow in frequency and intensity, households will likely face additional expenditures. For example, households exposed to heat waves and higher average temperatures are more likely to use air conditioning, which could increase their energy consumption and associated expenses.”
Lower-income households seemed to have a harder time with these changes which put them under a lot of financial pressure. There is also the “urban heat island” effect where lower-income families often live in hotter areas and are exposed to more heat.
Utility costs are just one of the areas in which Americans are seeing a rise in cost when dealing with the current inflation. Many Americans have said that they were not able to pay their utility bill or could only pay a partial amount.
Says the executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, Mark Wolfe, “We know that some people won’t turn them on because they’re afraid of the bill.”
Wolfe also said that these heat waves are harder to prepare for and “treat” because they last for much longer and have higher temperatures.
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