DC residents petition to change air conditioning rules to allow for cooler apartments
Misty Severi
Video Embed
Hundreds of Washington, D.C., residents have signed a petition to change the district’s air conditioning mandates so apartment complexes that are rent-controlled can turn air conditioners on earlier than May 15.
Guidelines state that air conditioners must work by May 15 each year and that the inside temperature be 78 degrees or 15 degrees below the outside temperature, depending on which is higher. Temperatures reached 87 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday.
DC ANNOUNCES HIRING BONUSES FOR POLICE AS CITY SEEKS TO CRACK DOWN ON RISING CRIME
“It’s almost 90 degrees outside, I think, and in my apartment, it’s 84,” Washington resident Truly Stern told Fox 5. “So I have not had a break from the 80-degree weather all day.”
Stern created the petition after talking to her building managers, who refused to turn the air conditioning on prior to May, in accordance with district regulations. The petition asks the Council of the District of Columbia to consider updating the regulations to match current temperatures.
Stern said she cannot afford the newer complexes where residents can control their own air conditioning.
“Who tends to live in those buildings? It’s more marginalized in low-income communities, so it leads to a bigger discussion about that, too,” Stern said. “Just because people are paying lower rent doesn’t mean they should be subject to [uninhabitable] units, and an 84-degree apartment is quite hot.”
Schools are also suffering from the warmer temperatures, with one classroom reaching 81 degrees. Fourth grade math teacher Alexa Cacibauda said she tried to make it cooler in her classroom by turning off lights and turning on fans but that it was ultimately cooler for the students to play outside.
District public schools start changing their air conditioners around April 1, a spokesperson said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINE
“DGS remains committed to providing safe and efficient air filtration, ventilation, and comfort within all District buildings,” a Washington Department of General Services official said. “Some school facilities are able to turn on their air conditioning system because they have a newer system, which requires a less intensive process. Other facilities use an older system, which requires a more intense heating-to-cooling turnover process. We appreciate your patience during the annual cooling switch-over period that began on April 1 and will continue until May 15.”
There were over 600 signatures on the petition as of Friday afternoon. Stern started the petition on Thursday.