BLACKSBURG, Va. – The heat is making its way into town and continues to hit communities across the world.
“To put it into context, it will probably be the coolest year we will have for the next couple of decades,” said Craig Ramseyer, a climate expert at Virginia Tech.
Experts said this year is one of the hottest years on record, and it is only going to get hotter.
“All the research suggests the magnitude of this heat wave we are experiencing is only going to get more frequent and worsen over time,” said Ramseyer. “What a heat wave looks like in say 15 years may be much worse than what we currently define it as.”
Ramseyer said these types of extremes in weather are starting to become more prevalent in our everyday lives.
“Something we hear all the time is ‘well, it’s summer. It‘s supposed to be hot,’” said Ramseyer. “However, we are starting to see, for example in Blacksburg, 90-degree temperatures used to be a very rare occurrence. Probably this week we are going to hit 90 degrees three times.”
With these high temperatures here to stay, air conditioning units are working harder and longer.
Ted Puzio, owner of Southern Trust Home Services said being proactive with your AC unit is key when extreme temperatures hit.
“It’s good to be prepared for it, be proactive, and have your systems checked before it’s needing a cooling in your home,” said Puzio. “Make sure that grass isn’t growing up high alongside the units. Make sure when you mow your lawn you mow away from your outside units, and make sure there are not a lot of bugs or spiderwebs on that.”
Officials from Appalachian Electric Power said there are several ways to help keep your home cool and to keep your bill low.
They said to keep your thermostat set to one temperature throughout the day, change your air filters, and make sure your windows and doors are sealed tight.
Customers can also sign up for AEP’s average monthly plan which will keep your bill roughly the same each month.