Civic Solutions: As We Endure Another Heatwave, Why Aren’t We Giving Free AC to People in Need?

I grew up in New Jersey, and my family only ever had window air-conditioning units. We would make one room ice-cold—closing the door to keep in the cool air, and hanging blankets on the windows to block out the sun.

Now, as an adult living in the desert, I have central air, semi-permanent sunlight-blocking window coverings, light-blocking curtains and portable fans.

My current concern isn’t necessarily the heat; it’s my energy bill. I do as the energy suppliers suggest, so most of the time, the lowest my thermostat goes is 78 degrees. Still, the bill can be bad, but nowhere near as bad as my bills two years ago, when I lived in a second-floor, facing-the-sun-at-all-times end unit in Rancho Mirage. Beautiful apartment. Inefficient 1950s air ducts.

However, a high energy bill is a secondary problem; facing multiple heatwaves and 120-degree temperatures without air conditioning is potentially fatal.

Heat-related illnesses result in an average of 67,512 emergency room visits, 9,235 hospitalizations, and 702 deaths each year across the country, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Heat and Health Tracker. The CDC’s list of heat-related illnesses include cardiovascular and respiratory complications, renal failure, electrolyte imbalance, kidney stones, negative impacts on fetal health, and preterm birth.

Death rates are known to rise during and after heat waves. Meanwhile, in the Coachella Valley, summers are getting hotter, and summer nights are providing less relief, according to an analysis of data by reporter Erin Rode of The Desert Sun.

For relief from the hottest days, there are cooling centers and air-conditioned businesses across the valley. For some, relief is found by spending summer—or at least part of it—somewhere else entirely.

As our latest heatwave hits full-force, I am fortunate enough to be visiting family in Oregon. Here, I learned about another potential short-term solution: giving people air conditioners.

It seems simple, obvious.

Sure, it isn’t the most energy-efficient option, and it doesn’t help with the environmental effects of climate change, but it might save some lives in the short-term.

Last year, the Oregon Legislature directed the Oregon Health Authority to implement the Air Conditioner and Air Filter Deployment Program. It’s meant to provide vulnerable populations relief in the form of free AC units and air-filtration devices (for wildfire smoke). Eligibility is limited to those who don’t already have these devices, who qualify for medical assistance through the Oregon Health Authority or Medicare, and who are at-risk for heat-related illnesses, including those who are 65 or older.

There have been some major hiccups with the implementation of the program, but thousands of Oregonians have benefitted. Another 3,000 AC units and 4,700 air filtration devices were funded for this year. The new air conditioners will only be distributed, however, if/when the governor declares an emergency due to extreme heat.

Oregonians, Northern Californians and others in the Pacific Northwest have found themselves unprepared for extreme heat events, like the heatwave during the summer of 2021. Homes and buildings that were built when these areas had milder summers weren’t equipped with AC. They didn’t need it.

Suddenly, everyone needed it—all at once.

People who work outdoors in the heat for long hours, like farmworkers and construction workers, and people without stable housing may be at the highest risk for heat-related illnesses. However, officials in the Portland area actually found that most people who died during the heatwave were older adults living alone who didn’t have air conditioning, or whose air conditioning wasn’t working.

Similar programs have been implemented in Washington state, Pennsylvania, New York City and some Texas cities. Some programs are paid for with money from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). These funds have also been used to help open cooling centers.

LIHEAP is available in California. Anyone who participates in programs like SNAP, SSI and TANF automatically meets the eligibility requirement. Eligible Californians can get a one-time payment to help with heating or cooling bills, or to get a disconnected utility turned back on. Funds can also be used to help low-income residents with in-home weatherization services.

To apply for benefits, contact the Community Action Partnership of Riverside County online or at 951-955-4900; or the California Department of Community Services and Development online or at 866-675-6623.

Assistance with air conditioners is a short-term solution that is complicated by the threat of rolling blackouts from our energy companies; an air conditioner doesn’t help if there is no electricity to keep it running, after all. Still, if a blackout lasts just a few hours, a little bit of AC is better than none at all.