Is your electric bill reaching shocking heights? You’re not alone. Folks across the country are watching their energy costs skyrocket. But here’s what you might not realize: it’s not just about inflation or energy price hikes. Our overheating planet is playing a big role in it.

The Heat Is On, and So Is Your AC

Climate change is leading to higher average temperatures across the globe, and this has a direct impact on our energy consumption. As our planet overheats, we’re relying more heavily on air conditioning to keep our homes comfortable. And as vindication for all the dads out there, using your AC more is one of the biggest contributors to an elevated electricity bill. 

And it’s not just the heat that’s making us sweat–it’s the humidity. A warmer atmosphere is like a sponge, holding more moisture. When it’s both hot AND sticky outside, our bodies struggle to cool down naturally leading us to use more air conditioning.

Your Home’s Energy Efficiency May Be Costing You Too

While climate change is a big part of the problem, your home’s energy efficiency could be making things worse. Older homes with poor insulation have walls, windows, and doors that let air conditioned air escape, forcing heating and cooling systems to work overtime. 

Outdated appliances also use more energy than their modern counterparts. While getting upgrades may cost you upfront, it may end up saving you money in the long run.

As a side note: you may be tempted to save on your electric bill by moving away from electric heat. Not so fast! While electric heating can cause an increase in your electricity bill, it can lead to a decrease in your overall energy costs because electric systems are often more efficient than old-school gas or oil furnaces.

Other External External Factors

Many other factors come into play besides the ones at our homes. While there is plenty of talk about clean electricity sources like solar and wind farms, slow permitting processes delay their deployment. Slow permitting also affects the construction of electrical transmission lines crucial for sharing clean electricity between regions, keeping us reliant on older, often more expensive energy sources.

Additionally, wildfires and hurricanes—now more common due to climate change—can damage energy infrastructure. In some electric utilities, consumers often end up footing the bill on repairs and upgrades through their electric bills.

How can you prevent high energy bills?

Energy consumption spikes don’t just pose a threat to our wallets. Increasing energy usage demands lead to power plants burning more fossil fuels to compensate, leading to more carbon pollution in the air. This contributes to even hotter temperatures and extreme weather events, which can cause more energy price hikes in the future. One thing worth looking into are time-of-use electricity rates, which change your energy rates depending on the hours of the day. Consider talking to your electric company about them!

Mitigating our energy consumption is one of the main ways we can cut down on our energy spending and our carbon pollution. Here are some smart and simple ways to do just that:

✅ Get a Home Energy Audit. It’s like a check-up for your house, allowing a professional to assess where your home can improve on energy efficiency. You can even get a tax credit of up to $150 to help pay for it.

✅ Upgrade to Heat Pumps. A more cost-effective alternative to air conditioning and heating appliances. They work by transferring heat from the outside air or ground into your home (or vice versa for cooling), using much less energy than traditional systems.

✅ Home Weatherization. Improving your home’s energy efficiency through better insulation, sealing cracks, and upgrading windows could have an outsized impact on your electricity bill.

✅ Solar Panels. The cost of solar has decreased by 90% in the last decade. Getting solar on your roof can help lower your electric bills, even if you’re using the same amount of electricity. Rooftop solar can decrease your reliance on grid electricity, lowering your bills. If you’re worried about the cost, you’re not alone—less than 20% of people think clean energy systems have gotten cheaper. 

✅ Energy-Efficient Appliances. Consider upgrading to energy-efficient appliances like induction stoves, heat pump clothes dryers, and heat pump water heaters.

Support policies that make it easier to get clean energy

Many of us don’t realize how our habits affect our energy use. With an overheating planet, running inefficient appliances is getting more expensive by the day.

On a larger scale, global efforts to combat climate change might bump up energy costs a bit in the short term. But many of these policies come with rebates or dividends that can actually put money back in your pocket. In the long-term, supporting safe and clean energy won’t only lead to more savings, you’ll also be doing your part in decreasing carbon pollution.

By understanding these factors, you can take steps to mitigate high electricity bills while also contributing to efforts against climate change and the planet’s overheating.