Northeastern Pennsylvania is in the grip of the first major heat wave of the summer, and it’s a big one. A sprawling “heat dome,” an area of high pressure that traps hot air like a lid on a pot, has settled over the eastern half of the country and is pushing temperatures into dangerous territory right through the Fourth of July weekend. Across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, more than 165 million Americans are under some level of heat risk, with heat indices climbing past 100 degrees in many areas.
Here in NEPA, we’re feeling it. Communities across the Poconos, Wayne, Lackawaxen, and the surrounding valleys have seen highs in the 90s with “feels-like” temperatures pushing well into the upper 90s and beyond once humidity is factored in. Just as important, the nights aren’t cooling off the way they normally do, overnight lows have been stalling in the 70s, which means homes and air conditioners get very little chance to recover before the next scorching day begins. Forecasters have flagged this stretch as especially dangerous for anyone without reliable air conditioning.
At Buselli Solutions, we want you to stay safe and comfortable, and we also want you to understand what this heat is doing behind the scenes to your HVAC system, your monthly bill, and the regional power grid. Here’s the full picture.
What's Actually Happening Outside
This isn’t a run-of-the-mill hot spell. Records have been falling across the region, from New York City hitting 100 degrees for the first time in over a decade to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., flirting with all-time record highs. The combination of intense daytime heat and unusually warm, humid nights is what makes this event so taxing, both on people and on equipment.
A few things stand out about this particular heat wave:
The heat is relentless and multi-day.
Instead of one bad afternoon, we’re looking at consecutive days of extreme heat with no meaningful overnight break. That sustained load is exactly what wears equipment down.
Humidity is doing a lot of the damage.
The “feels-like” temperature climbs far above the actual air temperature, and your AC has to work overtime not just to cool the air but to pull moisture out of it.
Air quality has suffered.
Parts of the region have seen air quality dip into “unhealthy for sensitive groups” territory, another reason to keep windows closed and rely on a well-functioning cooling system.
How Extreme Heat Punishes Your HVAC System
Your air conditioner was designed to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature under normal conditions, typically cooling your home to around 20 degrees below the outdoor temperature. When it’s 95+ degrees outside with brutal humidity, and it barely drops overnight, your system is asked to run almost continuously for days on end. That’s when problems show up.
Here’s what a prolonged heat wave does to your equipment:
- Your system runs nearly non-stop. During normal weather, your AC cycles on and off throughout the day. In a heat wave like this one, it may run for hours without a break, and sometimes through the night. Every hour of runtime is wear on the compressor, the blower motor, and the electrical components.
- The compressor overheats. The compressor is the heart, and the most expensive part, of your cooling system. Extended runtime combined with high outdoor temperatures can cause it to overheat, trip a safety breaker, or fail outright. Compressor failures are one of the most common (and costly) breakdowns we see during heat waves.
- Refrigerant and airflow problems get exposed. A system that’s slightly low on refrigerant or has a dirty filter or coil can usually limp along in mild weather. Under extreme heat, those small issues turn into a system that can’t keep up, freezes over, or shuts down at the worst possible time.
- Frozen coils and water damage. Ironically, an overworked AC can freeze up. Restricted airflow, often from a clogged filter, causes the evaporator coil to ice over, which cuts cooling entirely and can lead to water damage when the ice melts.
- Capacitors and electrical parts fail. The extra electrical demand and heat put stress on capacitors and other components. These are often the culprit when a system suddenly won’t start on the hottest day of the year.
The takeaway: heat waves don’t create new problems out of thin air, they expose and accelerate existing ones. A system that skipped its spring tune-up, has a dirty filter, or is a little low on refrigerant is far more likely to fail right when you need it most. And unfortunately, everyone’s system fails at the same time, which means longer waits for service across the region.
Why Your Electric Bill Is Climbing Fast
The second sting of this heat wave shows up on your utility bill and it’s a double hit.
- First, you’re simply using far more electricity. Air conditioning is the single largest driver of summer power use. When your system runs around the clock, kilowatt-hours pile up quickly. And here’s a number worth remembering: for every degree you set your thermostat below a moderate baseline, you can add roughly 3–5% to your cooling costs. Cranking the thermostat down to 68 on a 95-degree day feels great for about a minute, but it’s expensive and it may not even be achievable for your system.
- Second, the price per kilowatt-hour has gone up. Most NEPA households are served by PPL Electric, and PPL’s “Price to Compare,” the default generation rate you pay if you haven’t chosen a competitive supplier, rose to about 13.15 cents per kilowatt-hour effective June 1, 2026, up slightly from the prior rate. That’s just the generation portion; once delivery charges are added in, all-in residential electricity in Pennsylvania is averaging around 21 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2026, roughly 17% above the national average, and it’s been rising faster than in most states.
Put those two factors together, more usage at a higher rate, and a hot July can produce a bill that lands with a real thud. It’s not your imagination, and it’s not necessarily a broken meter.
A big part of the upward pressure on rates comes from surging regional demand, including the rapid growth of power-hungry data centers across Pennsylvania and the broader mid-Atlantic. That demand growth is tightening the wholesale power market, which eventually flows through to what households pay.
The Bigger Picture: A Grid Pushed to Its Limit
Here’s where the story goes beyond any single home. Your electricity in NEPA is coordinated by PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator that manages the flow of power across all or part of 13 states plus Washington, D.C., including Pennsylvania. And this week, PJM is being tested like rarely before.
During this heat wave, PJM has been forecasting peak electricity demand of roughly 166,000 megawatts or more, enough to break the grid’s all-time summer demand record of about 165,563 megawatts, which had stood since 2006. For perspective, a single megawatt powers roughly 750 homes. The reason is exactly what you’d expect: tens of millions of air conditioners all running hard at the same time, concentrated in the late-afternoon and early-evening peak.
To keep the lights on, a lot of machinery has been set in motion behind the scenes:
- Federal emergency orders. The U.S. Department of Energy issued emergency orders authorizing PJM to maximize power generation and, if needed, curtail large energy users like data centers, shifting them onto backup generators to free up capacity for homes and businesses.
- Grid alerts stacked on top of each other. PJM has issued Hot Weather Alerts, Maximum Generation Alerts, Load Management Alerts, and Low Voltage warnings, and it recalled power plants from scheduled maintenance so more generation would be available.
- Wholesale prices spiking. Spot electricity prices that normally hover around $25–40 per megawatt-hour have surged into the hundreds and, at times, over $1,000 per megawatt-hour during peak periods. Customers on variable-rate supplier plans can feel these spikes directly.
Could the Power Actually Go Out?
The emergency measures above are specifically designed to prevent outages, and PJM has several steps it takes, demand response, backup generation, voltage reductions, before it would ever resort to rolling blackouts. Grid operators have reported healthy reserves on hand. So the odds of a widespread, planned blackout remain low.
But “low” isn’t “zero.” Two real risks remain during a heat wave like this:
- Localized outages. Extreme heat stresses transformers, lines, and other equipment, and the pop-up thunderstorms that often accompany these patterns can knock out power in specific neighborhoods. Heat-driven equipment failures spike during events like this.
2. The margin is thin. When demand is this close to record levels and many plants are running flat-out, there’s very little cushion left. If a large generating unit unexpectedly trips offline, the grid has less room to absorb the loss, which is why grid operators take these events so seriously.
The bottom line for NEPA homeowners: keep a plan in mind in case of a temporary outage, especially for anyone in your household who is vulnerable to heat.
What You Can Do — For Your Comfort, Your Wallet, and the Grid
The good news is that the same handful of habits protect your HVAC system, lower your bill, and ease strain on the grid during peak hours (generally 2–7 p.m.). It’s a rare win-win-win.
Set a smart thermostat target.
We know this sounds crazy but aim for around 78 degrees when you’re home, and a few degrees higher when you’re away. 78 degrees may seem high but compared to the scorching outside temperatures, this temperature will seem like a much needed relief. Every degree lower drives up both your runtime and your bill. This also gives your system the breathing room it needs to avoid running itself into the ground.
Pre-cool earlier in the day.
Cool your home down in the morning when it’s easier (and cheaper) on the system, then ease the thermostat up during the hottest, highest-demand afternoon hours.
Take the load off your AC.
Close blinds and curtains on south- and west-facing windows, run ceiling fans to feel cooler at a higher thermostat setting, and avoid using the oven or stove during peak heat, grill outside instead. Every bit of heat you keep out is heat your AC doesn’t have to fight.
Change your filter — right now.
A clogged filter is the number-one preventable cause of heat-wave breakdowns. A clean filter improves airflow, prevents frozen coils, and helps your system cool more efficiently.
Shift big appliances to the evening.
Run the dishwasher, washer, and dryer after 7 p.m. when demand, and often heat, has eased.
Don’t ignore warning signs.
If your system is short-cycling, blowing warm air, making unusual noises, struggling to hit its set temperature, or if you spot ice on the unit, shut it off and call for service before a small issue becomes a compressor replacement.
Buselli Solutions Is Here to Help
Heat waves are exactly when a well-maintained HVAC system pays for itself, and when a neglected one lets you down. If your air conditioning is struggling to keep up, running constantly, or showing any of the warning signs above, don’t wait for a full breakdown in the middle of the hottest stretch of the year.
Our team can help you:
- Get an emergency repair if your system has already quit or is failing to keep up.
- Schedule a tune-up to catch refrigerant, airflow, and electrical issues before they become breakdowns.
- Improve efficiency so you get more cooling for every dollar on your electric bill.
- Plan an upgrade if an aging, undersized, or inefficient system is costing you comfort and money every summer.
Contact Buselli Solutions today to schedule service and keep your home comfortable all summer long.
Sources
- https://insidelines.pjm.com/pjm-hot-weather-operations-update-july-2-2026/
- https://www.utilitydive.com/news/heat-wave-tests-power-grid-pjm-anticipates-new-record/824329/
- https://abcnews.com/US/stretched-limit-heat-wave-prompts-us-electrical-grid/story?id=134369230
- https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/us-issues-emergency-order-for-pjm-interconnection-as-heatwave-looms-4769169
- https://thedailyrecord.com/2026/07/01/us-declares-emergency-for-power-grid-serving-md-as-heatwave-looms/
- https://www.yesenergy.com/blog/pjm-is-about-to-set-an-all-time-record
- https://www.electricchoice.com/blog/pjm-emergency-order-heat-wave-2026/
- https://marylandmatters.org/2026/06/29/amid-high-heat-power-demand-in-pjm-territory-could-set-records/
- https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/02/weather/heat-wave-east-coast-july-fourth-climate-hnk
- https://weather.com/2026/07/02/forecast/national/heat-wave-fourth-of-july-week-midwest-south-east
- https://www.puc.pa.gov/press-release/2026/puc-alerts-consumers-to-june-1-electric-price-changes-and-higher-summer-energy-costs-5-20-26
- https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/your-ppl-bill-is-going-up-next-month—heres-how-much-and-why/article_57bc7257-e922-4687-8690-cb9b3570d51b.html
- https://nuwattenergy.com/en/pennsylvania/electricity-rate-trends-2026