If you want to learn how to cope with extremely hot weather, consider the folks in Phoenix, Arizona. For Phoenicians, there is nothing unusual about hot weather. In fact, the temperature reaches at least 100 degrees an average of 111 days per year there. That’s almost a third of the calendar year. Phoenix temperatures reach 110 degrees or higher an average 42 days a year.  Beating the heat is a basic living requirement in The Valley of the Sun, as it is called.

If you visit Phoenix anytime between April and October, you will note a common precaution against the heat taken by almost everyone you see. Water bottles are an accessory to every summer outfit in Phoenix. It is common practice at stores and businesses to provide free water, too. Even at convenience stores, where water is product for sale, the stores offer free ice cups and water.

Phoenicians know, better than perhaps any others, that hydration is the most important precaution against the dangers posed by excessive heat.

The Columbus Police Department, teaming up with the nonprofit Community Benefit Committee, are providing free water to people they encounter around the city while encouraging businesses to provide water to their visitors and customers.

It makes sense that staying hydrated is so important. Like automobiles, the human body is water-cooled. When you see a car pulled off the road spewing steam, you immediately recognize overheating. In the human body, the overheating produced by dehydration is more difficult to identify. You’re fine until you’re not. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can come quickly and with little warning.

It is in our best interest that we carry a water bottle with us as we follow our daily routine during the summer. We can also defend ourselves against the dangers of excessive heat by adhering to a few common practices, including wearing loose, light-weight, breathable clothing,  a wide-brimmed hat, UV-protected sunglasses and sun-screen. We can also adjust our schedules to avoid being outside during the hotter times of the day and make sure we take breaks while working outside and seeking shade whenever possible.

This week, TVA and local utility companies called attention to another byproduct of prolonged heat waves: soaring utility bills.

This is particularly true in the South and West, where utility bills can increase anywhere from 6-to-10% during the summer. For many, the increased utility costs can be a severe strain on the household budget.

There are any number of things homeowners can do to keep those utility bills down in the long-term, mostly notably proper insulation and weather proofing.

There are also things you can do right now that don’t cost anything at all.

Among them, raising your thermostat by a couple of degrees. You may be uncomfortable at first, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you will adapt. Keeping shades and blinds closed helps, as does the use of ceiling fans. Operate home appliances early in the morning or in the evening. Hand-washing dishes is preferable to the dishwasher. Before clothes dryers became common in homes, most people used a clothes line. You can rig up a crude clothes line without much trouble.

These small measures, taken together, can make a real difference not only to you, but to your community. Increased demand for electricity can threaten supply and can lead to managed outages or rolling blackouts. So what we do to conserve electricity on a personal level can have a positive effect on our community.

We cannot say it often enough: Check on your elderly friends, family and neighbors, who are particularly vulnerable during heat waves.

The long-range forecast calls for high temperatures in the 90s and heat indices in the 100s (and as high as 106) through the middle of July. That means what we do today to keep ourselves safe and our utility bills manageable will need to become a habit.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.