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For most of us, the ability to keep a home warm in the colder months seems more important than the ability to keep a home cool in the heat of summer. Those of us who grew up with grandmothers who opened the windows and set a couple of fans blowing when things got really warm probably don't give much thought to air conditioning as an essential, particularly when so many of us take for granted that we can crank the AC as low as we want to.
But as temperatures rise, heat is becoming as deadly as cold in some parts of the country, while keeping a home cool is becoming more expensive.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said 2024 is predicted to be an unusually hot summer for most of the country. The Northeast is predicted to get the worst of it.
Meanwhile, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate have put together a report that suggests the financial burden for families across the country to keep cool this summer will increase by 7.9% to an average of $719 from June through September. Though Ohio is among those with winter shutoff protections for low-income utility customers, it is not among those with summer protections.
But what else can we do? In the report, the groups recommend options ranging from bill payment assistance and shutoff protections to restoring federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and assistance with weatherizing, retrofitting and installing heat pumps.
"Access to affordable cooling is more than a matter of comfort," wrote the report's author, Mark Wolfe, executive director of the NEADA. "For many Americans, especially low-income households and members of vulnerable populations, the difference can be as stark as either staying safe and cool or ending up in the emergency room as a result of heat stroke, heart attacks or other heat-related conditions."
While policymakers and elected officials look for a solution on their end -- and they must-- the rest of us can keep an eye on neighbors just as we would in the winter months.
Are you able to drive someone to an air-conditioned location, or provide one? AARP suggests making a list of people to check on during extreme heat. Find a list of steps to take here: https://createthegood.aarp.org/volunteer-guides/stay-cool-extreme-heat.html.
Hot or cold, we've got to look out for one another; and if we are able to make a difference for a neighbor in need, well, that's pretty cool.