For the six in 10 families whose heat comes from natural gas, the increase in heating costs could be 34%. NEADA predicts the average family will pay $1,202 to heat their home this winter - 17% more than last year. While Cooper, who's 59, will likely get a break on utility costs during the mild Phoenix winter, people in colder parts of the country are likely to face significantly higher heating bills.ĪFP via Getty Images An aircraft takes off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with electric power lines visible at sunset as the California Independent System Operator announced a statewide electricity Flex Alert urging conservation to avoid blackouts in El Segundo, Calif., on Aug. 'If I didn't have roommates, I wouldn't be able to make it on the salary that I have.' 'We have six months of summer with over 100-degree heat,' says Cooper, who earns $13.50 an hour as a restaurant cashier. NEADA estimates the average family's cooling costs rose from $450 last summer to about $600 this year.ĭale Cooper's power bills in Phoenix are even higher. 'Families need to use air conditioning to stay safe.' 'It was one heat wave after another,' said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. The rising price of power has been compounded by soaring temperatures, which have kept air conditioners working overtime.

But many families are still struggling with the rising cost of groceries, rent, and other essentials like electricity.Įlectricity prices have jumped 15.8% in the last year, largely as a result of high-priced natural gas, which is used to generate nearly 40% of the nation's power. 'The houses are just sitting, baking.'Ī report from the Labor Department Tuesday shows the country's annual inflation rate dipped to 8.3% in August, from 8.5% in July. 'The heat here is horrible,' she says, noting her neighborhood near the University of Alabama campus doesn't have many shade trees. 'It's been damaging to be honest,' she says. In both July and August, her power bill topped a jaw-dropping $400. Take Bernice Brown, a retiree in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Inflation cooled a bit last month, thanks in part to falling gasoline prices, but for many families, there's another major strain on their household budget: soaring electricity bills.

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