{"id":399264,"date":"2026-08-06T12:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/399264\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T12:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:58:10","slug":"when-the-power-goes-out-homes-can-become-heat-traps-yale-climate-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/399264\/","title":{"rendered":"When the power goes out, homes can become heat traps \u00bb Yale Climate Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"

by YCC Team, Yale Climate Connections
August 6, 2026<\/p>\n

Transcript:<\/p>\n

On sweltering summer days in Austin, Texas, most homes have the windows shut and air conditioners pumping.<\/p>\n

But some people cannot afford to run their AC enough to adequately cool their homes.<\/p>\n

And if the power goes out in a storm, air conditioners do not work.<\/p>\n

So some houses can quickly become dangerously hot<\/a> inside \u2013 especially older, drafty homes that allow heat to seep in faster.<\/p>\n

Coudert: \u201cWe have a lot of houses \u2026 with zero insulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Marc Coudert<\/a>, Austin\u2019s climate adaptation and resilience manager, says the threat is growing as the climate warms.<\/p>\n

Coudert: \u201cYou know, in the 1970s, we would get an average of 10 days over a hundred. Now we’re seeing, in like 2023, 80 days over a hundred.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the city funds programs to help low-income residents make energy efficiency improvements, like adding insulation or reflective roof coatings, which can help homes stay cooler without using as much AC.<\/p>\n

And the city maintains a network of cooling centers<\/a> where people can go during heat waves.<\/p>\n

But some residents, including those who are elderly or ill, may be unable to leave their homes.<\/p>\n

Coudert: \u201cA lot of the people who are most vulnerable to heat are people who are isolated.\u201d<\/p>\n

So he says it\u2019s also important for people to check in on their neighbors and help make sure they\u2019re safe.<\/p>\n

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy \/ ChavoBart Digital Media<\/p>\n

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/yaleclimateconnections.org\/2026\/08\/when-the-power-goes-out-homes-can-become-heat-traps\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/yaleclimateconnections.org”>Yale Climate Connections<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yaleclimateconnections.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ycc-favicon.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n

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