'My bill is $782????' Why electricity costs have soared for some NJ customers

[progree]

1. Bad news on electricity bills, beginning with a small shift in average temp results in huge increase in extra hot days

How a small rightward shift in the average daily high temperature produces a huge increase in the frequency of very hot days:
e.g. a 2% increase in the July average daily high in a locale with a July average daily high of 85 degrees (e.g. New York City) produces a 2.44 fold increase (144% increase) in the number of 103+ degree July days.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143266574#post1

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Heat Waves - decade by decade from the 1960's on - 4 bar charts: Heat Wave Frequency, Heat Wave Duration, ...
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3269663

Well if the accursed thing doesn't load, here it is:

https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heat-waves

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And then I found this article 2 weeks ago,

Why your air conditioning bill is about to soar , Washington Post, 7/12/24
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/why-your-air-conditioning-bill-is-about-to-soar/ar-BB1pRxnN

(summarizing, in my words) Air conditioning costs rise with the SQUARE of the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures. e.g. if the indoor setpoint is 75 degrees, then an increase in outdoor temperature of just 4 degrees, from 96 to 100, increases AC cost 42% !.

Plus more than half the greenhouse gas consequences (and presumably more than half of the electricity cost) comes from dehumidying, which older AC's don't do efficiently. As if that's bad enough, the inability of older AC's to reduce the humidity enough causes people to lower their thermostats to feel comfortable -- yet even more expense and more greenhouse gas emissions.

The refrigerants used in AC's also contribute to global warming