Q&A
Balancing cooling access with climate goals and energy efficiency
1:54:07
·
4 min
Council Member Restler and Sarah Parker discuss the challenges of providing access to cooling while maintaining grid stability and reducing emissions. Parker presents a 'triangle' of issues to consider: access to air conditioning, cost of operation, and alignment with energy goals.
- Parker explains the need to balance providing cooling access with reducing energy demand and fossil fuel reliance
- Discussion covers energy-efficient appliances, proper sizing of air conditioners, and the importance of utilization
- They touch on the broader context of energy use in the city, including commercial spaces and illegal air conditioning practices
Lincoln Restler
1:54:07
I just would love to get, I think, the last point that you're getting at, which is how do we try and this is kind of impossible question.
1:54:21
So I would if you I I don't expect any, I my I but I'm just interested in your thought pattern.
1:54:29
There is, there is almost a contradiction between our desire to keep people safe during, you know and reduce subsidies for lowest income tenants during extreme heat and the stability of the grid and reduction in emissions, right, that are working at at cross purposes.
1:54:51
Like, how do we try to line up the incentives so that we're providing access to cooling to people who need it, but, but not at the, at the expense of achieving our climate goals or destabilizing our grid?
Sarah Parker
1:55:08
That's a great question.
1:55:10
So the underlying premise of this bill is to reduce and prevent heat related illness and death in New York City.
1:55:19
One, there are I almost think of it as a triangle.
1:55:22
We have the question of access to air conditioning, which this bill aims to address, to provide more air conditioning to rental units so that people don't have to go to a cooling center or go to a public space that is air conditioned or even a commercial space and spend the afternoon shopping because it's air conditioned even if they buy nothing.
1:55:47
That's one piece of this, access to air conditioning.
1:55:50
The second piece is the cost.
1:55:52
How do we pay for air conditioning if we have these appliances?
1:55:56
And the third piece of this triangle is how does this fit in with our energy goals and our city's desire to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce overall energy demand?
Lincoln Restler
1:56:11
Mhmm.
Sarah Parker
1:56:12
And so when we're thinking about appliances, we have energy star ratings.
1:56:18
There certainly are air conditioner there's guidelines put out by the ASHRAE, which is the industry standard for heating and cooling on how to size an air conditioner for a room space.
1:56:31
Larger rooms need more larger air conditioners with more output.
1:56:37
Smaller rooms do not.
1:56:38
The smaller an air conditioner, the generally, the less electricity it uses.
1:56:44
So those are some ways if we're focusing on the appliances, we can think about getting energy efficiency ones, thinking about how to best size it for this space.
1:56:54
In terms of Utilization.
1:56:57
Utilization, the question is is really comes down to cost.
1:57:02
This this premise of providing appliances is only as good as people using them, particularly at times of most need, which then comes up with this tension of really taxing the the energy grid.
1:57:21
Now an individual window air conditioner is not using the same level of electricity as a high rise office tower, to be clear.
1:57:31
And the city has a lot of big buildings that are cooled almost to extremes
Lincoln Restler
1:57:37
Yeah.
Sarah Parker
1:57:37
And a lot of commercial spaces where the front doors are left open.
1:57:41
So we are Illegal.
1:57:42
Air conditioning.
Lincoln Restler
1:57:43
There's a
Sarah Parker
1:57:43
law against it, and I still see it.
Lincoln Restler
1:57:45
Yep.
1:57:45
Totally.
1:57:46
We're not air conditioning the sidewalk.
Sarah Parker
1:57:48
And so there are there are clearly many many aspects on reducing our energy demand overall as a city that we need to be tackling.
Lincoln Restler
1:57:59
I I that was incredibly helpful and smart and well broken down.
1:58:03
So I really appreciate that thoughtful answer.
1:58:05
Appreciate the thoughtful testimony.
1:58:07
Appreciate the the conversations that my office has had with the IBO on this bill and really would welcome further partnership as we try to move it forward.
1:58:14
So thank you so much, miss Barker.
Pierina Sanchez
1:58:17
Thank you, council member Ressler.
1:58:18
Thank you so much, Sarah.
1:58:19
It's very, very helpful.
