Arizona knows heat. But in recent years, even long-time residents have felt the difference between a hot summer day and the kind of extreme heat that stretches household budgets, tests local infrastructure and makes reliable electricity a matter of public safety. That is why Arizona utilities are increasingly using flexible technologies like battery energy storage to support rate affordability and to strengthen the electric grid as extreme weather events become more frequent.

Maricopa County has confirmed more than double the number of heat-related deaths so far this year compared to the same point last summer. As of Tuesday, the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner had confirmed 81 heat-related deaths in 2026. At the same point last year, 35 deaths had been confirmed. 587 more deaths from this year remain under investigation as potentially heat-related. That compares to 376 that were still under investigation at this point last year.

The tipping point came in March, when temperatures in Arizona set national records for the month by hitting 112 near Martinez Lake and Fort Yuma. Arizonans know the ritual of the long summer — the thermostat nudged to 82, the vacation skipped, bracing for the electricity bill. What they didn’t budget for was reaching for the AC before spring had even arrived.