After facing costly heating bills this winter, consumers shouldn’t expect relief for the summer months, according to new projections for household utility costs.
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association projects the average electricity cost to cool homes between June and September will reach $778 this summer. That’s a $61 — or 8.5% — increase from last year and nearly 37% higher than in 2020.
The association, which represents state employees administering federal energy assistance programs, attributes the increase to warmer temperatures and higher electric prices.
“Families are squeezed from both directions,” Mark Wolfe, the association’s executive director, said in a press release. “They are paying more for electricity, and they need more of it to stay safe during increasingly hot summers.”
Projections show a pronounced impact in the South because of its higher temperatures and widespread air conditioning usage. South Atlantic states — from Delaware to Florida — are expected to see average cooling bills rise by more than $100 between June and September compared with last year. But Midwestern states are expected to see summer costs go up by about $30 per household.