Hundreds of Millions of Americans Face Extreme Heat as Cooling Costs Climb to Record Highs

The average U.S. household is expected to spend almost $800 on keeping their homes cool this summer as electricity prices spike 

Trump and Republicans in Congress have gutted clean energy projects across the country, squeezing supply as demand skyrockets 

Washington, DC – As the country gears up to celebrate the 4th of July, 230 million Americans are facing dangerous heat warnings with temperatures in 20 states forecast to climb into the triple-digits. Electricity prices have spiked by 18% on Trump’s watch, making it more expensive for American families to cool their homes and stay safe during heat waves. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is trying to downplay the dangers of extreme heat as the World Health Organization links 1,300 excess deaths to a record-breaking heat wave in Europe. In the US, heat surpasses cold as the biggest weather-related killer. 

Trump has also repeatedly tried to eliminate funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and gutted extreme heat resilience initiatives. LIHEAP is a critical lifeline for Americans who are struggling to pay home cooling costs as utility bills skyrocket. 

Climate Power Senior Advisor Mia Logan issued the following statement: “This will not be the first time this summer that millions of Americans face life-threatening extreme heat. As climate change fuels more frequent and more dangerous heat waves, staying cool becomes a matter of life and death. But thanks to Trump, skyrocketing energy costs have left Americans struggling to make ends meet just so they can keep their homes cool and stay safe. What’s worse is that Trump is canceling programs that help pay for cooling costs and protect communities against the deadly impacts of extreme heat, leaving them on their own to pay for the consequences of his dangerous agenda.” 

Climate Power has experts available to comment on the dangers of heat waves and the impacts of high cooling costs:

• Mark Wolfe, Executive Director, The National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA)
• John Morales, meteorologist at Climadata and Climate Power Co-Chair

***Reach out to press@climatepower.us to schedule an interview***

Climate-fueled heat waves are putting lives at risk and driving up costs: 

• Extreme heat is the deadliest climate-fueled hazard, claiming more lives annually than hurricanes, floods, and wildfires combined. 
• Heat causes at least 170,000 work-related injuries and as many as 2,000 worker fatalities annually. 
• Agricultural workers are 35 times more likely to die of heat stress than the rest of the U.S. workforce.
• Extreme heat is increasing healthcare costs: emergency department visits and hospital admissions due to heat-related or heat-adjacent illness cost $1 billion each summer. 
• As extreme heat intensifies, 69% of Americans say that heat has driven up their energy bills at a time when utility bills are up by 18% nationwide.