San Antonio heat hits homes without A/C

Half a percent of Bexar County households lacked air conditioning in 2023, per Census Bureau data released this summer.

Why it matters: Without air conditioning, Texas summers are practically unendurable — and can be deadly.

By the numbers: Nearly 3,700 Bexar County households out of more than 740,000 have no A/C.

• The figure is 0.3% in surrounding counties Comal, Kendall, Wilson and Guadalupe. Like Bexar, it's 0.5% in Medina County.
• It's higher in Atascosa County (0.6%) and Bandera County (1.7%).

Zoom in: Within Bexar County, Census tract data shows A/C is not evenly distributed.

• Areas immediately west, south and east of downtown have some of the highest percentages of households without A/C.
• A Census tract including Five Points, immediately north of downtown, has the highest percentage, with 3.1% of households without any form of A/C.

Reality check: The Census Bureau figures count homes with window A/C units as having air conditioning.

• Low-income and renter households are more likely to rely on window units, but they are less effective at cooling and relieving the health risks associated with extreme heat.
• In prior studies, López Ochoa and Hashemi found that older homes are often equipped with window units that can't properly cool down a house.
• Residents often leave the units off during the day to save money, and come home from work to indoor temperatures up to 120 degrees.