Hot summer may bring 8% rise in utility costs for many people across the US

A likely spike in utility bills will disproportionately affect low-income families during the hot summer months. Photograph: Bruce Yuanyue Bi/Getty Images

Many people in the US can expect to see an 8% rise in their utility costs this summer, according to a new report. Soaring electricity bills put low-income households at risk from extreme heat, the report noted.

Last year was the Earth’s hottest one on record. In the US alone, about 11,000 people are estimated to have died of heat exposure.