Maybe it’s fortuitous the the name Phoenix, comes from the mythological bird that would burn up and rise again from its ashes. That’s because the Valley’s recorded temperatures for the month of May set records as one of the hottest ever.
The Tribune reported that May saw three nights where the record for highest minimum temperature for the day was broken. May also saw a record 14 days straight days of 100+ degree weather. As well, 29 of 31 days saw 90+ degree weather. Given this is not the Olympics where breaking records means winning gold, hot temperatures here mean higher utility bills and other potential issues.
The hotter weather here means that homeowners will increasingly have to be conscious about their utility usage. Air conditioners will inevitably run longer with the hotter temperatures which means electricity bills will go up. There is a real cost to Valley residents the hotter it gets here.
Click to see more cyclic patterns of Phoenix area weather.
As such, I anticipate an increasing awareness of ways to cut electricity usage costs such as added insulation, performing an inspection of your home’s efficiency, and other steps.
In a recent post, I talked about how Energy Secretary Steven Chu suggested that painting rooves white as well as roads would work to reflect the sun’s rays back into the atmosphere and potentially lower cooling costs by as much as 10-15% (he also talked about it reducing the heat island effect). Perhaps Phoenix might be a good test bed for that concept.
All signs point to the Summer once again being a sizzler here. As such, break out the shorts and tees and leave the chili peppers in the refrigerator.
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We used to have attic fans that would take air from the inside of the house into the attic. this helped release the hot air that insulated our home. Works good but it must be cooler outside and your windows should be cracked open.