30% of U.S. households lack central air—and that’s becoming more and more dangerous

28 Jul 30% of U.S. households lack central air—and that’s becoming more and more dangerous

Extreme heat has plagued countries across the world in recent weeks. Wildfires have devastated parts of Spain and Portugal, where an estimated 1,100 people have died from the heat; and the U.K logged a new record temperature of 104.5 degrees. These incidents have exposed that those places are under-equipped when it comes to air-conditioning, either because high temperatures have been historically uncommon or homes are older. But, even in the U.S., where AC is comparatively ubiquitous, there are still gaps in access, often in some of the most vulnerable areas.

According to a new report studying 35 U.S. metro areas, based on the Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey, there are inequities in access to AC in cities across the nation. Particularly notable are parts of the country that have been historically less hot, but that are now experiencing higher temperatures. Also concerning is the lack of AC among lower-income individuals and racial minorities, who tend to live in hotter and less protected areas, even within cities themselves. The report shows the extent of the disparities, and suggests some solutions for the short and long terms for these urban heat islands, which absorb and retain heat to uncomfortable degrees.

Overall in the U.S., about 70% of homes have central AC, and about 10% have no cooling at all (the rest use window AC units). Central air is most prevalent in the South and Southwest, where many homes were built post-World War II; 95% of homes have AC in Sun Belt cities like Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix. But, on the traditionally cooler West Coast, AC is less common, with the cities like Seattle and San Francisco having the highest share of households without it. But even there, temperatures have been rising dramatically: 70 people died from a heat wave in Portland last year.

Even between some cities in close proximity, there were glaring differences. Cleveland had three times as many households without AC than Cincinnati, just 250 miles away. One of the report’s authors, Jenny Schuetz, a senior fellow at Brookings, says that’s likely because of the age of homes: more than 70% of Cleveland’s housing stock is over 50 years old compared to about 50% of Cincinnati’s housing. Cincinnati is also more affluent.

Lower-income people were more likely not to have AC. In the lowest-income quartile, 12% of households weren’t equipped with it, and 60% had central air; versus 6% among the highest incomes who didn’t have it, and 80% who had central air. Race was also a factor: Black and Latino residents were less likely to have AC than white residents. In Detroit, 15% of Black residents didn’t have it versus 4% of white residents. What compounds the severity of the issue is that these populations are already vulnerable because they tend to live in areas of cities with the highest temperatures, due to more paved surfaces and fewer trees.

To help bridge these gaps, in the short term, the report suggests city governments should give portable AC units to the most vulnerable residents. In New York City, for example, the Cooling Assistance Benefit program provides $800 per low-income household for an AC unit and installation, though it’s on a first-come, first-served basis and with limited funding. They recommend cities should also provide summer utility subsidies, so poorer individuals can afford to power their units.

In the longer term: “Ideally, we’d invest more resources in upgrading homes for overall energy efficiency,” Schuetz said via email. Homeowners and landlords can weatherize buildings by providing tighter-fitting windows and doors, and better insulation. Cities need to invest in durable heat protections, including cool pavements and cool roofs, and fountains and misters. There’s been some progress on this in cities like L.A. and Miami, which has appointed a chief heat officer to explore best heat-adaptive practices and work with other North American cities to help implement them. Nonprofits, such as American Forests, have also piloted tree canopy projects in places like Phoenix and Tucson to increase “tree equity,” where they plant more trees in vulnerable areas.

These resilient solutions will be doubly important for the fact that AC contributes significantly to global warming, already representing an estimated 3.9% of total emissions. But it may simply be a necessary evil to keep people safe from unprecedented heat. “It’s likely that need for AC will go up over time if we want to protect the health of older adults and other vulnerable people,” Schuetz says.

Source: Fast Company