Undoubtedly many of us have thought — while baking in a triple-digit-hot car at the end of the day before the air conditioner gets cool and brings reprieve from the suffering — that we asked for this type of weather all winter long, so we should try not to complain about it now.

Still, it’s hard to not wish for a little touch of wintry weather amidst this extended heat wave, although we’ll certainly be regretting those thoughts before we know it.

However, it is during these rare weeks of oppressive warmth that precede the cold season when we should really be thinking about, and talking about that very subject — heat.

Home heating bills are likely to skyrocket in the coming months, culminating as a result of many factors that include utility companies’ price gouging, effects from the war in Ukraine, and an overall rising tide of costs that has come with the worst rates of inflation seen in recent memory. Those with electric heating systems are going to potentially fare even worse, as electrical rates are set for a major price hike as well.

The result will be nothing new, but possibly realized on a scale worse than we’ve seen in recent history. Thousands of folks, mostly senior citizens who are living on fixed incomes and every type of demographic who barely scrape by on inadequate salaries, will suffer through a bitter winter wrapped in blankets and facing possible death due to exposure to the elements while unable to afford a means to heat up.

This does not need to happen. While Rhode Island does have hardworking people who organize and coordinate home heating subsidy programs, it should be expected that those programs will be overburdened and underfunded by an increased need coming off a spring and summer of rampant inflation while still in the midst of a global health crisis.

Local leaders at the community and state level should coordinate a forum to discuss what we can do in preparation of this reality. Although the cold season will have already started by the time any legislative action can happen in January, we know all too well that the most dangerous months for those exposed to frigid conditions can stretch well into February and March around here.

When gas prices skyrocket, people can utilize public transportation, ride share, or opt to ride their bikes to try and save some money. When it’s cold and you can’t afford heat, there is no alternative. We call on advocates and politicians to be proactive and think about addressing this problem now, so nobody is left out in the cold.