California Housing Officials Call for Residential Cooling Standards to Protect Tenants from Extreme Heat
Highlighting the devastating impact of extreme heat on hundreds of lives lost each year, California housing officials are urging lawmakers to establish residential cooling standards. Despite persistent pushback from landlords and builders fearing costly renovations, the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development recommended setting a safe maximum indoor air temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit for the approximately 14.6 million residential housing units statewide.
“It’s a significant issue,” remarked C.J. Gabbe, an associate professor of environmental studies at Santa Clara University. “We are increasingly seeing concerns about rising heat-related morbidity and mortality in California, leading to these types of indoor maximum temperature guidelines.”
If adopted, California could boast the most comprehensive cooling requirements in the country, according to Gabbe. Some local jurisdictions, including Phoenix, Dallas, and New Orleans, have already set their own standards, while both the city and county of Los Angeles are exploring additional protections.
The past year marked the warmest on record globally, with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While most heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, approximately 1,220 people die annually in the United States due to heat-related causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Heat stress can lead to heatstroke, heart failure, and kidney failure, posing heightened risks for young children and older adults.
Currently, state law mandates winter protection for tenants by requiring all rental residential units to include functional heating equipment capable of maintaining indoor temperatures at a minimum of 70 degrees. However, there is no comparable standard providing tenants with the right to cooling facilities.
The release of this pivotal report marks the initial phase of a lengthy process, vulnerable to legislative politics and a powerful real estate industry that has successfully stalled similar proposals in the past. In 2022, state lawmakers directed the housing department to issue cooling recommendations after proposed legislation hit a standstill amid concerns raised by landlords, real estate agents, and builders regarding prohibitive costs.
These concerns persist. Many of California’s rental units are older homes, some dating back 90 to 100 years, making the installation of air conditioning systems a costly endeavor requiring extensive upgrades such as electrical system updates, noted Daniel Yukelson, CEO of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.
“Such government mandates, in the absence of significant funding or tax exemptions, would effectively displace many smaller property owners,” Yukelson expressed, voicing concerns that this could lead to large corporations purchasing housing units, subsequently driving up rental prices.
The report advocates for lawmakers to offer incentive programs for property owners to modernize residential units without passing on costs to tenants. Additionally, it suggests a range of strategies to keep homes cool, including central air conditioning, window units, blinds, fans, and evaporative room coolers.
For new constructions, housing officials propose incorporating new standards that integrate designs to prevent indoor temperatures from exceeding 82 degrees, such as cool roofs and walls designed to reflect sunlight or landscaping for shade.
The acceptance of the housing department’s recommendations by the Legislature remains uncertain. Spokespeople for Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senator Henry Stern, co-authors of the 2022 cooling standards bill, declined to comment on the matter.
A 2023 survey conducted by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California-Berkeley and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times revealed that a majority of Californians, 67% of voters, supported the concept of the state establishing cooling standards for residential properties.
As temperatures rise and heatwaves grow longer and more intense, deaths in California could surge to 11,300 annually by 2050, according to the report. Deaths from all causes may be up to 10% higher on hot nights compared to those without elevated temperatures, as highlighted in a February presentation by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
These circumstances pose particular danger when individuals cannot cool down at night during prolonged heatwaves, emphasized David Konisky, a professor of environmental policy at Indiana University.
“When people cannot rely on nighttime cooling to allow their bodies to readjust, that’s when things become truly dangerous for people’s health,” he underscored.
This article was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
