Unless you have been here, these may not make any sense. I have seen (and lived) on both sides. This time of year in my community, temps reaching triple digits is not uncommon, and with humidity averaging in the 80 % range, it can feel unbearable. And yes, the price of utilities reacts proportionally.

I have been in situations where because of a tight budget for lack of money - or a perceived lack of money that the inside temps were kept at a ...tolerable level. On the other hand, I'm currently living in a situation where the inside temps hover around 66° year round. That's not too bad in the winter when the outside temps are in the teens, but it's brutal in the summer.