For most of us, the ability to keep a home warm in the colder months seems more important than the ability to keep a home cool in the heat of summer. Those of us who grew up with grandmothers who opened the windows and set a couple of fans blowing when things got really warm probably don’t give much thought to air conditioning as an essential — particularly when so many of us take for granted that we CAN now crank the AC as low as we want to.

But as temperatures rise, heat is becoming as deadly as cold in some parts of the country, while keeping a home cool is becoming more expensive.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says 2024 is predicted to be an unusually hot summer for most of the country. West Virginia and portions of the Northeast are predicted to get the worst of it.

Meanwhile, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate have put together a report that suggests the financial burden for families to keep cool this summer will increase by 7.9% to an average of $719 from June through September. But West Virginia is among the states where the cost is expected to increase to an average of $792. Though the Mountain State is among those with winter shutoff protections for low-income utility customers, it is NOT among those with summer protections.

But what else can we do? In the report, the NEADA and CEPC recommend options ranging from bill payment assistance and shutoff protections to restoring federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and assistance with weatherizing, retrofitting and installing heat pumps.

“Access to affordable cooling is more than a matter of comfort,” wrote the report’s author, Mark Wolfe, executive director of the NEADA. “For many Americans, especially low-income households and members of vulnerable populations, the difference can be as stark as either staying safe and cool or ending up in the emergency room as a result of heat stroke, heart attacks, or other heat-related conditions.”

While policymakers and elected officials look for a solution on their end (and they must), the rest of us can keep an eye on neighbors just as we would in the winter months.

Are you able to drive someone to an air-conditioned location (or provide one)? The AARP suggests making a list of people to check on during extreme heat. Find a list of steps to take here: https://createthegood.aarp.org/volunteer-guides/stay-cool-extreme-heat.html.

Hot or cold, we’ve got to look out for one another.