Hot Weather

Hot weather can be uncomfortable, and in extreme cases dangerous. One way people respond to hot weather is by using air conditioning. Air conditioning is the primary way to cool a home and has become more widely used over time; as of 2015, it accounted for 17 percent of the electricity that the average American household uses every year. As climate change contributes to an increase in average temperatures and unusually hot days, Americans are expected to use more energy - mostly electricity for air conditioning. As a result, people will likely have to spend more money on electricity for cooling. Increased use of air conditioning could also lead to more greenhouse gas emissions and further climate change, because more electricity must be generated to meet this increased demand. As of 2018, about two-thirds of the electricity in the United States was generated by burning fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas. Burning fossil fuels for electricity is one of the largest sources of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.