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On July 25, 2026, severe humidity and triple-digit temperatures pushed the heat index at the Kansas Mesonet station near Silver Lake to a staggering 123.5 degrees. At one point that afternoon, localized data tracking briefly ranked Silver Lake as having the highest active heat index in the entire United States.
Silver Lake may have a lot of titles, but that’s not one anybody wants to win.
When we get a stretch of brutal weather where heat settles in and humidity just won’t leave for several days in a row, cooling your home becomes the biggest driver of electricity usage. Your air conditioner starts working overtime. It runs longer, works harder, and keeps pushing to hold the temperature inside your home where you want it. Even if you did not change your thermostat, the weather changed the workload.
And that extra run time shows up on your bill. Usually in a big way.
When you open that bill in August, and it seems high, it is likely tied to the extreme heat.
Before calling the office, I encourage you to take a quick look at your usage in SmartHub. It is one of the easiest ways to see how your energy use compares to other recent months. In many cases, that comparison will tell the story quickly.
I know summer bills are no one’s favorite surprise. But, when it feels like you need oven mitts just to open the front door, your air conditioner is probably the culprit behind that bigger than normal bill.
Check SmartHub first, compare your usage, and if you still have questions, we are always glad to help.
And if it makes you feel any better, your air conditioner probably needs a break too.