For generations, air conditioning in Vermont has been treated less as a necessity and more like a luxury.
That might be changing.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 even look at the forecast,鈥� Tony Rowell, owner of Premier Heating and AC in Barre, said of new customers seeking air conditioning. 鈥淭hey just feel it, and then all of a sudden the phone starts ringing.鈥�
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for much of the state, where it could feel like 105 degrees each afternoon from Wednesday through Friday once humidity is factored in.
But Vermont鈥檚 cultural acceptance of the mighty air conditioner has long been tenuous at best. In fact, Vermont still has the third-lowest rate of air conditioner ownership in the continental United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But that habit of pride, thrift and wherewithal might finally be giving way to summers that just keep getting hotter.
About two-thirds of Vermont homes own some kind of air conditioning device, including window units, compared to 89% nationally and more than 95% in states like Texas and Florida. The rate of central AC is far lower: Only 7% of Vermont homes have central air, the data shows.
There鈥檚 reason to believe that access to cooling technology could be a bigger concern as climate change impacts temperatures across the globe, even in a cooler region like New England.
Data from the National Weather Service shows that from 1950 to 1980, Burlington could expect an average of 51 days each year where the daily maximum temperature rose above 80 degrees. From 2000 onwards, that average has risen to 64 days. The number of days above 85 degrees has risen, too, from 22 days to 31 days per year.
Some of those super-hot days are expected this week, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service has issued an extreme heat warning for the western half of the state, and parts of Windsor and Windham counties. The weather service issues a heat warning when dangerous heat is forecast, compared to a lesser, but still severe, heat advisory.
Brooke Taber, a meteorologist for the weather service, said the heat index 鈥� a value that takes into account not just temperature but humidity and how it feels on the body 鈥� has been rising. Just over the past 10 years, the chance of the heat index going above 100 degrees has been increasing, particularly in the Champlain Valley and Connecticut River valley areas.
鈥淗umidity in the summertime is increasing and the impacts of that is, you know, warmer days, but also warmer nights, because of the ability of the moisture to hold heat and not let it go into the atmosphere,鈥� he said.
鈥楾hat always shocked me鈥�
Rowell, the HVAC business owner, specializes in heat pumps, devices that work similarly to a window AC but can provide cooling and heating.
Nowadays, he hears more from Vermonters looking for heat pumps to cool their homes than from people interested in them for the heating aspect.
鈥淓specially when I first started, that always shocked me,鈥� he said.
There鈥檚 a caveat to getting a heat pump for cooling, though: they can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the system, . While there are rebates available through Efficiency Vermont, they mainly apply to heat pumps that work better for heating, rather than cooling, Rowell said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e expensive units, and they take a lot of time to install, and the tools to even install them are very expensive, so all around it鈥檚 a very expensive industry,鈥� Rowell said.
Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University, said the cost of cooling is a key concern as climate change drives temperatures upwards.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just whether you can afford an air conditioner, it鈥檚 not just whether or not your building can be retrofitted for air conditioner, it鈥檚, can the energy providers鈥� supply meet the increased demand of cooling? Is cooling affordable in those communities to people who haven鈥檛 budgeted for needing to air condition their home?鈥� she said.
She said policymakers should take that demand into account when considering funding for energy assistance programs and housing upgrades.
Beyond individual homes, some important community institutions are lagging behind on AC, Ward said. She noted that lack adequate HVAC systems, leaving students and staff to swelter at the end or beginning of a school year.
鈥淓vidence has come out that talks about the impact of high temperatures in the classroom, say when classrooms are 80 degrees or hotter, on learning outcomes, particularly with math and science,鈥� she said.
A growing number of communities have adopted heat action plans that try to prepare and account for extreme heat through systems like and community resources for people in their homes. But Ward has noticed planning doesn鈥檛 always lead to action.
鈥淭he important thing is, you have to actually do what鈥檚 in the plan, and you have to implement what鈥檚 in the plan, and you have to fund what鈥檚 in the plan,鈥� she said.
For the time being, she shared a tip for Vermonters trying to prioritize their energy usage: Cool your bedroom.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to close the door to the bedroom, you can create a cooling space in there, you鈥檙e going to sleep in there, and it can help you overcome some of the daytime exposures you might have had,鈥� she said.
Taber reiterated for surviving heat waves, with or without AC. Avoid outdoor exercise, especially during the heat of the day. Stay hydrated. Check in on your neighbors and pets.
Rowell said one tip for heat pumps that also applies to window ACs is to simply leave them on, rather than trying to turn them off when you leave the house like you would an old furnace.
鈥淥nce it gets closer to a set point, it doesn鈥檛 use the full compressor load, so you鈥檙e not wasting electricity or wasting efficiency by keeping it on,鈥� he said.
The heat has also affected his own company鈥檚 ability to do work.
鈥淯sually we鈥檒l try to schedule a full day of work, but now we definitely have to kind of space our jobs out more, just because of the fact that (workers) need to sit in the air conditioning for a minute, get some water, then they go back out,鈥� he said.
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