While San Antonians brace themselves for another blistering summer, new federal data and university-installed sensors are showing just how brutal the heat can get once people shut their front doors. Thousands of Bexar County households are living with little or no cooling, and researchers say some homes are turning into ovens as temperatures climb this month.
What The Federal Data Show
According to the Census Bureau's Local Air Conditioning Estimates (LACE), about 0.5% of households in Bexar County had no air conditioning of any kind in 2023. That share works out to roughly 3,700 households out of more than 740,000 occupied housing units in the county, based on the LACE release.
Inside The Hottest Homes
Sensors placed by University of Texas at San Antonio researchers in the Historic West Side have clocked indoor temperatures as high as 120°F, according to UTSA. “Some of their homes are 120 F degrees inside when they come home from work,” the project notes, warning that those conditions significantly increase the risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Where The Gaps Are Concentrated
The cooling gap is not spread evenly across Bexar County. A census tract that includes Five Points, just north of downtown, recorded 3.1% of households without any air conditioning, and neighborhoods immediately west, south and east of downtown show higher percentages as well, Axios reports. Federal estimates also treat window units as “having AC,” which can blur the line between households with minimal cooling and those with effective, whole-house systems.
City And Researchers Pushing Targeted Fixes
UTSA’s mapping and sensor work has already been folded into city efforts such as the Cool Neighborhood program and cool-roof initiatives, guiding officials on where to prioritize shade trees, roof repairs and home retrofits, city staff and researchers told the San Antonio Express-News. The outlet also reported that some pilot households have received air-conditioning installations and other home improvements after being flagged through those programs.
Counting A/C Does Not Always Capture Risk
Research shows low-income households and renters are more likely to rely on window or single-room units and less likely to have central air, which increases vulnerability during extreme heat, according to an Applied Geography study. Axios also notes that many residents shut off their window units during the day to save money, then return to homes that have been baking for hours, a cost-cutting move that can quietly drive up health risks.
Researchers and city officials say pairing the LACE data with on-the-ground sensor readings is giving planners a clearer map of which blocks need cooling investments and housing repairs the most. As San Antonio moves through the hottest weeks of the year, they argue that targeted retrofits, shade and funding will help determine which households can safely ride out the heat at home.
