Summer electricity bills are climbing again

In our household, opening the electricity bill during summer can be almost as painful as stepping outside, and I have to imagine that many other members of the City-Cost community can probably relate! Our air conditioners are working overtime, and now there's another reason to worry.

According to The Japan Times, electricity prices have climbed to their highest level in three and a half years, driven by a combination of extreme heat, rising fuel costs and the weak yen, the latter of which creates another layer to the problem.

Because Japan imports a big chunk of the natural gas and coal used to generate electricity, a weaker yen naturally makes those imports more expensive. Higher global fuel prices are also feeding into the cost of generating power, so you can see how it ends up being a bit of a vicious cycle. 

It's hard, because using A/C at this time of the year feels inevitable. The rooms in my house that don't have cooling feel like a straight up sauna, so it's difficult to find ways to cut costs.