DC renters sweltering before apartment landlords switch to air conditioning
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — With temperatures hitting 90 degrees across the area, many people living in rent-controlled apartment buildings in D.C. are sweltering without air conditioning.
That’s because D.C. law says the switch to A/C isn’t required until May 15.
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The switch from heat to air conditioning isn’t as simple as flicking a switch. A lot of older buildings have to switch the pipes from heat to air conditioning, but with temperatures seemingly getting hotter sooner, people were left with apartments at 80 degrees on Monday.
Throughout D.C., windows are open and fans are working overtime.
“It’s pretty bad,” Lily Solomon said. “They haven’t turned on the air conditioning yet.”
Bharath Ravindra said it’s almost 90 degrees and sometimes hotter inside the apartments.
We are not able to sleep. Last night, I had to go onto the rooftop just to cool down,” Ravindra said.
D.C. law says “heating equipment shall maintain a temperature no less than 68 degrees” from October 1 to May 1.
“80 degrees as of right now. Blinds have been down all day, windows closed, fans going,” said Tuly Stern.
Last year, Stern started a Change.org petition to change the mandates and six councilmembers sent a letter asking for the Construction Codes Coordinating Board to review the time frames based on current, local climate conditions.
“It seems a little silly to not be able to say, ‘Hey, we know we had this May 15th date. Temperatures are rising. It’s getting a lot hotter, hotter, a lot earlier. Let’s just make it May 1st and started for air conditioning to be available,'” Stern said.
In letters obtained by DC News Now from June 2023, the acting chairperson of the board said while summers are trending warmer temperature variability during April to May and September to October is also expected to increase.
2021-ICC-CCCB-2023-Proptery-Maintenance-Heating-Air-Conditioning-Letter-to-CouncilDownload
2021-ICC-CCCB-2023-Proptery-Maintenance-Heating-Air-Conditioning-Letter-from-DOEEDownload
“The PM TAG, composed of representatives of building owners, Department of Buildings (DOB) senior staff and tenant advocates, has concluded that there is no ideal date for the switchover and does not see a compelling need to change the structure of the requirement or the dates. The PM TAG will, however, explore the maximum indoor air temperature concept in Director Jackson’s letter,” said Marc Fetterman, acting chairperson of the Construction Codes Coordinating Board.
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D.C. Department of Energy and Environment Acting Director Richard Jackson said the two-pipe heating and cooling systems that require time-intensive switch-over are outdated and ill prepared for the District’s changing climate.
“An alternative to the regulation of switch-over dates may be maximum indoor air temperature regulations as enacted in neighboring Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County Bill No. 24-19 requires each owner of rental housing to ‘maintain a temperature of no more than 80 degrees Fahrenheit (80° F.) in each habitable space at a distance of 3 feet above floor level’ between June 1 and September 30,” Jackson said.
“For two days where you can wear an extra blanket at home, that feels a lot more reasonable than making people sweat through several weeks of 80, 90 degree days,” Stern said.
Councilmember Brooke Pinto provided a statement saying:
“District tenants and residents, and particularly those with health sensitivities to changing temperatures, deserve to live in safe and habitable conditions. To take into consideration the Department of Buildings Construction Codes Coordination Board’s recommendations in response to the letter I sent last year requesting a review and update of the District’s codes, I co-introduced a bill that would require landlords to maintain indoor conditions no more than fifteen degrees less than the outdoor temperature between April 15th and October 31st of each year. This requirement takes into account unpredictable weather fluctuations in the wake of a changing climate. I am hopeful that the Council will move forward this critical legislation to safeguard the health and safety of our residents.”
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