SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN - After having the 3rd warmest July on record and the 10th warmest June on record in Milwaukee, chances are your electricity bill has been a little higher than usual this summer. Air conditioning use has been on the rise and is forecasted to be even more necessary by the year 2050.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the United States home use of air conditioning will rise 59 percent and commercial use will rise 17 percent in the next 30 years with the current pace of warming temperatures.
Future air conditioning use by the year 2050
Air conditioning has quite the history, and to this day, accounts for nearly 50 percent of home energy, according to Energy.gov. Without it, a large portion of the southern United States would be very hard to tolerate in the summers.
While Wisconsin rarely sees heat waves reach 100˚F a more common occurrence is the time we spend over 65˚F.
65˚F is considered the threshold for most A/C units not being needed. Even right here in Milwaukee, on average we're spending more and more time above 65˚F and require more electricity to stay cool.
Year some of daily average degrees above 65
The more we need to use airconditioning the more electricity each home requires. The more electricity we need, the more energy is required which would increase the demand for burning fossil fuels and lead to more greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
It's a positive feedback loop. Even at local levels here in southeast Wisconsin we are being impacted by a warming climate.