As A/C whirs, consumer budgets tighten (The Christian Science Monitor)

NEW YORK - The temperature's not the only thing rising: So is the cost of keeping cool. Across the sunbaked nation, utility companies, which are churning out a record amount of electricity as they try to keep up with the heightened demand for air conditioning, are watching their own fuel bills rise – an economic event that is likely to blow right into consumers' wallets. In some cases, homeowners trying to escape triple-digit heat can expect their electric bills to rise by double digits in ...