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Home Cooling Policies Can Combat Health Impacts of Extreme Heat, But Should Be Paired with Strategies to Reduce Unintended Consequences

March 20, 2025

by Betsy Lawton

Overview

Local governments are developing law and policy solutions to help protect individuals from extreme heat at home. This is particularly important as extreme heat at home can have harmful effects for a wide range of populations, including workers that have been exposed to extreme heat at work, pregnant people, young people, aging populations, and people with certain medical conditions.

The data is clear – earth’s temperature is on the rise, with the 10 most recent years being the hottest on record. This should come as no surprise to most readers, as extreme heat is regularly a top news story, with distressing health hazards caused by excess heat reported throughout the United States. Here at the Network we have highlighted the need to protect individuals from extreme heat in their homes and at their workplaces, and the public health benefits of heat pumps for cooling (and heating) homes. In this article, we will touch on local ordinances that require cooling to combat the health impacts of extreme heat and additional strategies to reduce energy burdens and green-house gas emissions associated with the increased use of cooling technology.

Local governments are developing law and policy solutions to help protect individuals from extreme heat at home. This is particularly important as extreme heat at home can have harmful effects for a wide range of populations, including workers that have been exposed to extreme heat at work, pregnant people, young people, aging populations, and people with certain medical conditions.  And the need for relief from extreme heat at home is even greater for families living  in urban heat islands, mobile homes, and homes that aren’t properly weatherized. 

Some cities are helping offset extreme heat at home via policies requiring cooling systems in rental units. For example:

  • City of Phoenix Cooling Ordinance: Requires that cooling systems in rental units be capable of cooling habitable rooms to temperatures at or below 82°F, or 86°F if cooled by evaporative cooling. Cooling systems must be maintained, operational, and in a good state of repair. If a cooling unit has been removed, the dwelling cannot be occupied until the cooling unit is replaced. Phoenix’s building code has required cooling systems in habitable spaces since 1998.
  • City of Tucson Cooling Ordinance:  Mechanical cooling must be provided in all habitable rooms. Air conditioners must be able to cool to 82°F and evaporative coolers must be capable of cooling to 86°F or below.
  • City of Dallas Cooling Ordinance:Owners must provide, and maintain in operating condition, refrigerated air equipment that can cool to at least 15°F cooler than the outside temperature, but in no event higher than 85° F, in each habitable room. When outside temperatures exceed 110° F it is a defense to prosecution if one habitable room is cooled to 85° F.

Cooling ordinances can also focus on protections for specific populations and/or types of premises. For example, the City of Chicago ordinance requires cooling and dehumidification equipment capable of maintaining room temperature of 75°F and 50 percent relative humidity in:

  • nursing homes: all habitable spaces and public corridors,
  • housing for older persons: indoor common gathering spaces, and
  • large residential buildings: at least one indoor common space accessible to all residents.

When the heat index exceeds 80°F this cooling equipment must be operated to maintain safe indoor conditions for occupants.

These cooling ordinances no doubt provide important public health benefits. But they also can contribute to increased energy burdens and additional green-house gas emissions that contribute to health risks posed by climate change. By some estimates, cooling is projected to account for over one-third of new electricity demands related to buildings by 2050. Foresight in developing policies around cooling requirements for homes can help reduce some of the increased health threats associated with wide-spread reliance on air conditioners.

Even where air conditioning is provided, some households won’t feel relief because they can’t afford to pay for the increased electricity it takes to operate these units. Policies that provide cool spaces in common areas, like the Chicago ordinance, can help reduce individual energy costs for tenants. And electricity disconnection moratoriums on unpaid bills during extreme heat events can help ensure that families are able to access the health benefits of cooling equipment.

Programs and technologies that increase efficiency of cooling systems can both overcome energy insecurity and reduce the air quality and climate impacts of cooling equipment. Weatherization programs can help reduce energy usage and costs using methods that prevent cool air from leaking out of the home. And more efficient cooling technology, along with cooling systems that rely on less potent green-house gas contributors, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, which in turn contributes to frequency and intensity of extreme heat events.

For example, heat pumps, despite relying on refrigerants, are associated with substantial energy savings and reduce average green-house gas emissions in all states. Heat pumps have the added advantage of also providing heating in colder parts of the country. Mini-split heat pumps – ductless systems that cool (and heat) without the need to install costly ductwork used by central air conditioning systems – can be the most cost-effective way to retrofit a home, provide cooling in multifamily housing, and relieve indoor extreme heat in warmer areas of the country where heating may not be needed.  These ductless systems are easier to install, more flexible, and are more energy efficient than air conditioners.

While it is important to provide needed relief from extreme heat at home, home cooling policies should incorporate, or be paired with, strategies to prevent and offset unintended and unhealthy consequences, such as increased energy insecurity and emissions that contribute to climate change and extreme heat.

This post was written by Betsy Lawton, Deputy Director, Climate and Health, Network for Public Health Law. The Network promotes public health and health equity through non-partisan educational resources and technical assistance. These materials provided are provided solely for educational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. The Network’s provision of these materials does not create an attorney-client relationship with you or any other person and is subject to the Network’s Disclaimer.

Support for the Network is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The views expressed in this post do not represent the views of (and should not be attributed to) RWJF.