05/01/2026
Utility Bills Are Likely to Be Higher 🙁 This Summer. Here’s What You Can Do.
As temperatures rise this summer, the cost to cool your home is expected to increase as well. Taking some steps now can help manage the bills.
The average seasonal cost for electricity, covering June through September, is projected to be 8.5 percent higher this year, rising to $778, according to a forecast from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.
The group helps states secure federal funds to help low-income people pay their cooling and heating bills.
Southern households bear “a disproportionate share of the rise in summer cooling” costs, the forecast said.
The region that includes Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas is forecast to see electrical costs rise 13.5 percent to a seasonal average of $860, while the region including Texas and Oklahoma is expected to see an 11.5 percent jump to $924.
Retail electricity costs continue to rise faster than inflation as a result of utility grid updates and demand from new data centers that power artificial intelligence, as well as increased use in the summer because of higher temperatures, the forecast said.
The combination of rising prices and increasing weather-driven demand is leading to “persistently high and rising costs for summer cooling,” according to the forecast, which is based on data from the Energy Information Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
While Americans are already grappling with steeper costs at the gas pump because of the war in Iran, its impact on the price of electricity in the United States is more complex. The domestic supply of...
The average bill is forecast to rise 8.5 percent. There are simple ways to make sure you’re not overpaying, like getting your air-conditioning checked.
