Rising temperatures this summer aren’t necessarily going to be just relegated to Fahrenheit degrees as escalating utility bills continue to be a source of frustration for consumers, even after the N.J. Board of Public Utilities ordered the state’s four electric distribution companies to develop cost mitigation plans in an attempt to diffuse rate hikes that began earlier this month.

“The reasons for these cost increases are many and complex. One fact, however, is clear: electric supply cost increases…