By Andrew Keshner

Amir Jina, a 36-year-old climate-change economist, was nervous about the upcoming heating bill for his two-bedroom Chicago apartment. It was so cold during the two-day polar vortex last month that his eyelashes froze when he ventured out to see Lake Michigan covered in ice. If the cold snap was doing that to the vast lake, what kind of havoc would it wreak on his apartment’s heating system?

When Jina walked to the lake as temperatures in the Windy City plunged to negative double digits that morning, he saw steam rising from the frozen water. “It was definitely a sight to see,” he said.

He wanted to witness something that may happen with decreasing regularity. Jina didn’t linger, but he wondered if future generations would ever see such a sight. “This might be a story I might tell my grandkids,” he said.

Like many others in the iced-over Midwest, Jina, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, also wondered if he’d receive a sky-high heating bill. But new government estimates of last month’s heating costs should calm those fears.

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Areas of Focus: Climate Change
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Climate Change
Climate change is an urgent global challenge. EPIC research is helping to assess its impacts, quantify its costs, and identify an efficient set of policies to reduce emissions and adapt...
Climate Science
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Climate Science
EPIC’s interdisciplinary team of researchers is contributing to a cross-cutting body of knowledge on the scientific causes of climate change and its social consequences.
Energy Markets
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Energy Markets
Well-functioning markets are essential for providing access to reliable, affordable energy. EPIC research is uncovering the policies, prices and information needed to help energy markets work efficiently.
Electric Power
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Electric Power
As the electric power system faces new pressures and opportunities, EPIC research is working to identify the mix of policies needed to accelerate the global transition to clean, reliable, affordable...