Asian, Black, and Hispanic households are more likely to report not having an air conditioning unit in their home compared to White households and keeping their homes at unsafe or unhealthy temperatures.
Black and Hispanicled households are more likely than Asian and White households to report being unable to use their air conditioning units due to financial challenges and to say they reduced or went without basic needs due to their home energy bills in the past year. Lower income households also are more likely than higher-income households to report these challenges.
These findings are based on a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of data from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey, a nationally representative household survey. The survey asks respondents about how energy is utilized in their home, such as powering air conditioning units, while also collecting demographic and local weather information.
More limited access to air conditioning contributes to disproportionate exposure to extreme heat and the development of heat-related illnesses, including death. As extreme heat worsens, strategies to increase access to residential air conditioning units and reduce exposure to extreme heat will be important for reducing the health risks associated with heat-related illnesses and mitigating disparities in these risks and negative health outcomes.
See “Disparities in Access to Air Conditioning And Implications for Heat-Related Health Risks” (August 16, 2024)
