It’s been a blisteringly hot July in Texas but that’s not especially surprising since it’s typically the hottest month of the year. In fact, last July was the warmest month in Earth’s recorded history. So, it also shouldn’t be too surprising that if you’re set on staying cool – it takes energy and, of course, money.
When it comes to energy bills, Texans are spending a little bit less than a lot of Americans. Jill Gonzalez, an analyst for the finance site WalletHub, explains how Texas stacks up against other 49 states and D.C. in terms of energy costs. She said, “Texas did a lot better than that. It ranked 28th, so more toward the cheaper end of the listing, and that costs around $289 per month.” She added that even though energy isn’t very expensive in the state, Texans need a lot of it.
Some of that electricity powering your whirring air-conditioner could be coming from wind. Chris Ramirez, an enterprise business reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, says Corpus Christi is uniquely positioned to support this burgeoning industry.
“In a lot of ways the Port of Corpus Christi is quickly becoming the tip of the spear of the industry at least in terms of exporting and shipping out materials,” he says. “A total of about 99,000 tons of wind energy related equipment and materials passed the port last year. And compared to 2014, it was 57,000 tons, and in 2013 it was 21,000 so the growth is very visible and stark.”
Wind now makes up about 10 percent of the state’s energy.
With all of the rain Texas sustained and suffered this spring, you might think – if you spend time thinking about burn bans – that they’re probably far and few between. But the Houston Chronicle reports that all that precipitation – followed by a dry spell – increases the risk for potential blazes. Right now 53 counties are under burn bans.
