LAUREN GILGER: Our next guest this morning says Phoenix could be a model for climate change instead of a victim of it. Greg Kats is the founder of Smart Surfaces Coalition, and he told me he got involved in this work because the billions being invested in these problems weren’t working.

Tucson Electric Power is reminding customers about Power AZ, a statewide program that launched in March to help working Arizona families with energy costs.

For Reylynn Fierro, the program came at a critical time. The Uber and Lyft driver says there was a point when her electric bill became more than she could manage.

The Goodyear City Council approved a special use permit for a sprawling solar energy and battery storage project in south Goodyear that is expected to generate millions of dollars in tax revenue and hundreds of construction jobs.

Many Arizonans spent decades working, raising families and planning for a retirement they hoped would bring some financial security.

But for too many, retirement has become another exercise in stretching every dollar. Housing, groceries, prescriptions and utility bills all compete for the same fixed income. And in Arizona, where air conditioning is essential for staying safe during extreme heat, the electric bill is one expense retirees simply cannot choose to avoid.

San Tan Valley resident Steve Pratt filed a closing brief with the Arizona Corporation Commission on Sept. 4 asking regulators to send the remaining balance of a $456,000 legal settlement to EPCOR customers as bill credits, rather than letting the utility hold the money for what he calculates could be decades.

Attached to the brief is an open letter signed by 179 EPCOR customers.

Under the searing desert sun, Max Wilson watched water flow through a canal in north Phoenix. This unassuming strip of blue next to a busy road is the city’s lifeline to the Colorado River. Soon, there will be less water in it.

Wilson, who is the water resources management advisor for the City of Phoenix, has to make sure cuts to this canal’s supply don’t cause taps to go dry for more than 1.7 million people who depend on his system.

The Surprise City Council unanimously approved new setback rules for battery energy storage systems Tuesday night, opting for a flexible approach that city leaders say balances safety concerns with growing energy needs.

Friday is another First Alert Weather Day because of the extreme heat. With highs hitting 117 this week in Phoenix, your AC has been working overtime.

Unfortunately, that means more expensive bills, but you may qualify to get help through a new state program called Power AZ.

A report grading Arizona’s infrastructure gave poor marks to the state’s water systems.

An annual “report card” from the American Society of Civil Engineers looked at the state’s dams, wastewater systems, drinking water systems, stormwater systems and levees. None of those categories scored higher than a “C” grade. The report says anything with that grade is “mediocre” and “requires attention.”

Phoenix metro residents who make their electric or water bill payments out to the Salt River Project — widely recognized as SRP — are also funding a PAC working to elect a strange (mostly Republican) coterie of candidates.