In the extreme Arizona heat, the fight for survival drastically increases for most low-income homes. Richard Chamblee, a 52-year-old man, died tragically only two days after the air conditioning unit in his mobile home stopped working. His case is an unfortunate indicator of a larger trend as indoor heat-related deaths are increasing at an alarming rate. In Mohave County, a shocking 70% of the 67 confirmed heat-related deaths in 2024 occurred indoors. All but three of these heartbreaking drownings occurred in RVs and mobile homes.
This cold reality is made worse by the economic pain. Many residents, like John, a 21-year-old concerned about his mother’s situation, live paycheck to paycheck. They can’t even afford to do urgent repairs such as replacing a broken AC unit. 75-year-old resident Regina Patterson is in the same boat, experiencing similar health and access-related struggles. As a result, her average electric bill of $211 a month is paid with her credit card. On top of that, she pays for water, trash, car insurance, and cable.
That’s according to the World Health Organization which has been warning that heat kills almost half a million people around the globe annually. These numbers hit home in Arizona’s communities, where extreme heat and a lack of means can be fatal. The state has made strides in helping those who can’t handle some heat but many still suffer.
The Impact of Financial Hardship
This financial burden on residents comes to life in heart-wrenching tales. For Regina Patterson, most of her monthly paycheck goes toward her mortgage. She can’t seem to get ahead with her $12,000 credit card debt and the almost $1,000 she owes to the energy company. Her brother, Stephen Patterson, at 69, has several significant health issues. Before his transition, he plead with Regina to please turn the air conditioning on.
Looking back on her brother’s urgent call for help, Regina told the naturalist, “I starred him to cut on the AC. I would have just charged his bill on my credit card, but my brother was a pigheaded son of a bitch. These situations are at the same time becoming more and more frequent as utilities, facing inflationary pressures themselves, drive up bills that many householders already cannot afford.
The situation is exacerbated by systemic issues. Even so, household utility debt has exploded to record, crisis levels. It rocketed from $17.5 billion in January of 2023 all the way up to $21 billion by June of 2025. It hurts millions of families who are already reeling from sky-high energy bills. This forces them to scrimp and save on other basic necessities, including cooling during life-threatening extreme heat.
“The price of everything keeps going up and I get into more debt every month. Trump is evil and only cares about the rich.” – Regina Patterson
The Role of Policy Decisions
Yet policy decisions at the federal and state levels are making these hardships even worse. Arizona’s Republican-controlled regulator voted to begin repealing the state’s renewable energy standard, potentially increasing energy bills further. With President Trump’s budget raising residential electricity bills in Arizona an average of $220 by 2035, Arizona legislators should tread carefully.
This is a policy trap energy advocates have long criticized, warning that it disproportionately harms low-income households. As Energy Efficiency For All director Morris Scott observed, using family’s living standards to subsidize billion-dollar companies is outrageous and senseless. Local advocates fear things are about to get a whole lot worse. Skyrocketing energy costs and lack of consideration for our most vulnerable is exacerbating their fears.
“Families are already struggling with high energy bills, and forcing them to cross-subsidize some of the world’s wealthiest corporations violates both fairness and common sense.” – Mark Wolfe
These alarming concerns are mirrored by Vjollca Berisha, who reminds us that these deaths are indeed preventable. “The bottom line is only going to get more dire as bills rise and people’s hardship deepens,” she said.
The Human Cost of Inaction
As temperatures soar, so does the need for immediate action. The tragic death of Richard Chamblee illustrates the level of urgency to create change. Clearly, we need to redesign how we pay for and invest in energy in Arizona. Programmatic support, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), brings relief to approximately 24,000 households annually. This assistance only barely begins to touch the far greater systemic problem.
Regina Patterson’s story serves as an example of the psychological effects of the trauma associated with daily economic anxiety and panic. “I would just go insane if I lost my power in this kind of heat,” she said. Her testimony expressed the urgency that so many of our constituents are experiencing in living through these dangers.
According to experts, the time to act is now. Without serious intervention, the first-ever indoor heat-related deaths are on the horizon — particularly among our vulnerable elderly and low-income populations.
“These are preventable deaths, and the situation is going to get worse as bills go up and hardship increases,” – Vjollca Berisha
Residents such as Regina Patterson are still battling both the crippling costs and the excruciating heat that has been linked to loss of life in their communities. Their stories are calling on all state policymakers and community leaders to do more. They need to focus on sustainable solutions that help mitigate impacts on extreme weather for our most vulnerable populations.