7 in 10 Americans say extreme heat impacting electricity bills: Survey

Seven in 10 Americans say extreme heat is affecting their electricity bills, according to a new poll.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found 69 percent of Americans saying extreme heat has either had an impact of “major” or “minor” size when it comes to their electricity bill.

Twenty-four percent said the heat had “no impact” when it comes to their electricity bill.

According to data released in June by climate scientists in Europe, the Earth went through 12 straight months of the global average temperature hitting a record high. The U.S. has gone through several heat waves in recent months, with multiple records being broken.

The AP-NORC poll also found a majority of Americans saying extreme heat had a “major” or “minor” effect on the “outdoor activities” of them or their family, at 57 percent. Thirty-six percent in the same poll said the heat had “no impact” on those same activities.

The American Red Cross announced earlier this week that its national blood inventory had fallen by more than 25 percent last month, partially due to extreme heat in the U.S. Because of extreme heat, people stay inside more, resulting in less participation in blood drives.

The AP-NORC poll was conducted July 25-29 and featured 1,143 participants and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.