Heat domes drive electric bills sky-high—here's how solar and storage can help

By early August, the U.S. had already lived through its third heat dome of the summer. Heat advisories covered 80 million Americans, with some cities hitting all-time temperature records. Since late June, roughly 280 million Americans, more than 85% of the country, have lived through above-average heat.

For homeowners, that heat comes with a price tag. Electricity bills are on pace to hit a new high this summer, and the grid that's supposed to keep your air conditioner running is under more strain than it's seen in years.

Fortunately, you don't have to just wait it out. Solar panels paired with battery storage let you generate and store your own power, so a heat wave that sends everyone else's bill soaring doesn't have to touch yours. And even though the 30% federal solar tax credit expired for homeowners at the end of 2025, the math on going solar still works for most households. Here's what's driving this summer's heat and higher bills, and how to protect yourself from both.

A heat dome forms when a strong area of high pressure stalls over a region and traps hot air underneath it, like a lid on a pot. As warm air tries to rise, the high pressure pushes it back down, and it heats up further on the way. That loop can repeat for days or weeks, which is why heat domes tend to produce not just hot days, but stretches of them with little overnight relief.

Climate scientists have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of heat domes to a warming planet. The pattern is playing out clearly this year: 2026 is on track to be the second-hottest first half of a year on record, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. As these events become more common, the systems built to keep homes cool and safe are getting tested more often, too.

When a heat dome settles over a populated area, millions of people crank their air conditioners at once. That surge in demand hits an aging power grid that wasn't built for it.

Extreme heat also damages the infrastructure itself:

• Power lines expand and sag in high heat, which can trigger outages or even wildfires

• Power plants lose efficiency and become more prone to breakdowns as temperatures climb

• Transformers and substation equipment overheat and fail under sustained heat

During the Fourth of July heat dome, PJM Interconnection—one of the largest grid operators serving 67 million Americans—recorded its second-highest demand in nearly a century of operation. Wholesale electricity prices in Northern Virginia, home to the world's largest cluster of data centers, spiked past $2,500 per megawatt-hour, more than 60 times the typical rate.

The average U.S. household will spend about $792 on electricity between June and September this year, a 10.5% jump from the same period in 2025, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. One in six U.S. households is already behind on utility payments.

A few forces are driving the increase:

• Natural gas costs for power generation have climbed sharply over the past year

• Aging grid infrastructure needs billions of dollars in upgrades, and utilities are passing some of that cost to ratepayers

• Data centers and electric vehicles are adding demand faster than new generation can come online

• Hotter summers mean more air conditioning use, which pushes bills higher on top of rising rates

Put simply, you're likely paying more for electricity, and you're using more electricity than you were even a year or two ago.

A solar-plus-battery system works differently from solar alone. When the grid goes down, it can "island," disconnecting your home from the grid automatically so your panels and battery keep your lights, refrigerator, and other essentials running. During the day, your panels generate power. At night or during an outage, your battery supplies it.

Batteries are also proving valuable even when the power stays on. In early July, Vermont utility Green Mountain Power was able to save customers an estimated $6 million in avoided peak power costs during a heat wave by tapping into its virtual power plant—a network of home batteries, EV chargers, and hydro plants. Homeowners in states like California can earn several hundred dollars a year by letting their utility draw on their battery during grid emergencies, all while keeping backup power available for their own home.

Research from Stanford backs up how much this can matter for individual households:

• About 60% of families could cut their electricity costs by 15% on average with a solar-battery system

• 63% of U.S. households could weather local or regional blackouts with one

• A typical system can meet about half of a home's electricity needs during an outage

It depends on your usage and system size, but the numbers are more encouraging than most people expect.

A 10 kWh battery alone, without running your air conditioner or electric heat, can power the critical systems in an average home for at least 24 hours. Add solar panels that recharge the battery each day, and a system can fully meet backup needs through three-day outages in nearly every U.S. county.

For context, EnergySage marketplace data shows the average quoted solar system is around 12 kilowatts, paired with batteries that typically hold 10 to 13.5 kWh apiece. Homeowners who want whole-home backup can scale up with multiple battery units.

Heat domes aren't a one-summer story. As they show up more often and hit harder, the choice comes down to riding out higher bills and grid strain year after year, or building your own source of reliable, lower-cost power at home.

Homeowners who install solar panel systems through EnergySage save $60,500 on electric bills over 25 years on average, though some save as much as $155,000. Compare quotes from vetted installers to see what a system paired with battery storage would cost and save for your specific home.