This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Much of Georgia will celebrate the Fourth of July under a heat advisory, with temperatures in the 90s expected through the holiday weekend. That will send air conditioners into overdrive as they fight to overcome the heat and humidity.
The spike in energy use is compounded by higher summer electricity rates: It costs more to generate electricity when it’s hot, so power companies often charge more for each kilowatt-hour used. Electricity customers typically see their highest power bills of the year in June, July and August according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration…