PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Dr. Diana Hernandez, Professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, on Energy Insecurity and Cooling Requirements
2:17:18
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7 min
Dr. Diana Hernandez, a professor at Columbia University, testified in support of Intro 994, which would require cooling in tenant-occupied dwellings. She presented research on energy insecurity, the health risks associated with extreme indoor heat, and the success of the Get Cool program in New York City.
- Dr. Hernandez emphasized the disproportionate impact of inadequate cooling on low-income groups, households of color, renters, and those with preexisting health conditions.
- She highlighted that while providing air conditioning is crucial, there's also a need for financial support to ensure tenants can afford to use it.
- The testimony included recommendations for expanding energy assistance programs, strengthening disconnection protections, and educating the public on efficient cooling practices.
Dr. Diana Hernandez
2:17:18
Alright.
2:17:19
So, good morning.
2:17:20
Am I good morning or good afternoon now.
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New York City, council members, and the committee on housing and buildings and chair Sanchez.
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By way of introduction, my name is doctor Diana Hernandez.
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I'm a tenured professor, in the Department of Socio Medical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health.
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I'm also the founding principal investigator of the Energy Equity Housing and Health Program, at Mailman and the co director of the center of the Energy Opportunity Lab at the Center on Global Energy Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia.
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I'm a mayoral appointee of the, Environmental Justice Advisory Council as well.
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I'm testifying in my capacity as a leading authority on the issue of energy and security in the US.
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I published over, a 100, peer reviewed papers, book chapters, and reports on this topic and a related, forthcoming book called Powerless to People's Struggle for Energy.
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Energy insecurity is defined as the inability to adequately meet household energy needs.
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It has 3 dimensions.
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There's an economic dimension, which has everything to do with, the affordability of bills, a physical dimension, which has everything to do with the physical quality of housing, and, coping, which has to do with the adaptive strategies that people use when they cannot, adequately meet the economic or physical conditions of their homes.
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The pending local law intro 994 requiring that tenant occupied dwellings be provided with cooled and dehumidified air is a critical step in closing energy and security gaps in New York City.
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I am here both to express my support for this measure by by sharing evidence, from published research that indicates a need for greater cooling access among New York City residents while also expressing concerns that without enhanced financial support for tenants, the assurance of air conditioning alone will not be enough to ensure safeguards against extreme heat at home.
2:19:12
There are substantial human health risks associated with excessively high temperatures in residential dwellings from hyperthermia to heat stroke, sleepless nights, mental strain, and even death.
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The public health literature, on the adverse health effects of indoor of extreme indoor heat is well established and incontestable.
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These issues are also more pronounced with rising temperatures driven by climate change.
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There is also a greater need for cooling at home.
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In disadvantaged communities, urban heat island effects compound the need for indoor cooling while at the same time making it more expensive to cool.
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New York City regularly tracks air conditioning prevalence, meaning how many New York City, households actually already have access to cooling.
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And from this tracking, we know that over 90%, have access to cooling at home except in certain com in in certain neighborhoods.
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Among them, the highest, low income groups, households of color, renters, and households with preexisting health conditions.
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As emphasized by council member Ressler, every year in New York City, high indoor temperatures cause an, on average, 350 exacerbated heat deaths.
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100% of people who died of heat stress in their homes either did not have a working air conditioner or were not using it at all.
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In 2020, the New York City COVID heat wave, plan was passed due the due to the swift action of the city council and coordination among, multiple city agencies.
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The emergency, AC distribution measure enabled the installation of 73,000 ACs in homes, over a 3 month period.
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The program goal was to help low income older adults stay home safely during COVID 19 and extreme heat, supporting social distancing during the summer of 2020.
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In addition to the actual AC unit, there were also modest utility bill credits for, almost 500,000, low income electricity, customers at around, $35 per month.
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This highly impactful program known known as the get cool program was a well targeted, was well targeted such that populations with the highest levels of heat vulnerability and those at greatest risk of COVID were prioritized in the distribution of ACs.
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I was an academic partner in a program evaluation effort done in collaboration with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene that resulted in a peer reviewed paper published last year in the journal of, urban, health.
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And, in their in that, paper, we presented the results from the get cool program, which showed that it was highly successful in ensuring that more household in New York City were positioned to access cooling at home.
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The evaluation compared program beneficiaries to applicants that demonstrated interest, but were not enrolled in the get get cool program.
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And results indicate that get cool participants were able to access cooling at home compared to the prior year and also, to non participants.
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More get cool program participants reported comfort at home.
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They were also more likely to, less likely to report being sick at home compared to non participants.
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But almost so just to kind of put this in context, almost an equal number of study participants, did not go to cooling centers, really demonstrating a low uptake of cooling center use.
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Another point of convergence was about a persistent challenge around energy affordability, particularly among get coal participants, that, expressed concerns around increased electricity cost, compared, and, and then nonparticipants faced, other barriers.
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So the participants, were expressing, concerns around affordability.
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The AC installation, landlord surcharges, and applying for cooling assistance were all substantial concerns for those that were non participants.
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And together, this shows that there is still a need to fill cooling gaps in New York City.
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We've done some additional work with the New York City Department of and Mental Hygiene.
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Just this year, we published a paper that was, in health affairs, and we show that 28% of New York City residents experience energy and security.
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30% of them are experiencing homes that are too hot.
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15% of them are experiencing are not using their ACs due to cost.
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And in a report that we published this year with the Robin Hood Foundation, alongside the the Columbia Center For Poverty and Social Policy, we demonstrated that 10% of New York City residents are falling behind on their utility bills and 5%, experience a disconnection due to nonpayment.
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Considering the the aforementioned I'm
Pierina Sanchez
2:23:53
just gonna ask you to summarize.
2:23:55
Okay?
Dr. Diana Hernandez
2:23:55
Right now.
2:23:56
Evident thank you so much.
2:23:58
A vast body of research showing the links between energy housing and health, there is definitely a strong rationale for establishing a cooling season during, the months of high heat.
2:24:09
However, in addition to, establishing that, we also need to be thinking about reforming the home energy assistance program and making cooling assistance more robust, expanding the energy affordability program so that more eligible households are actually enrolled, considering strengthening disconnection programs, disconnection protections during summer months, ensuring that AC units are actually efficient, and that, low intensity, cooling options like ceiling fans are also part of this plan and that, we also need to educate the public on indoor temperature set points that support health.
2:24:44
Thank you so much for the opportunity.
