‘Like walking into soup’: How extreme heat is making your electric bill skyrocket

Beyond the impact to bills, about 4 in 10 Americans say extreme heat has impacted their sleep and exercise routine.

During the summer, Levena Lindahl closes off entire rooms, covers windows with blackout curtains and budgets to manage the monthly cost of electricity for air conditioning. But even then, the heat finds its way in.

“Going upstairs, it’s like walking into soup. It is so hot,” Lindahl said. “If I walk past my attic upstairs, you can feel the heat radiating through a closed door.”

Lindahl...