When the Heat Comes: Cooling Equity and the Summer Crisis Ahead for New Jersey

Heat-related deaths in the United States have surged 117% since 1999, rising from 1,069 to 2,325 per year.¹ The deadliest natural hazard in America is not hurricanes or tornadoes. It is heat. And in New Jersey, the question of who survives a heat wave increasingly depends on something deceptively simple: whether your home has air conditioning.

Last January, Monmouth County recorded lows of −3°F in Howell.² But summer is coming, and the data tells a different kind of story. According to First Street Foundation's climate projections, Monmouth County currently experiences about 7 days per year above 97°F. Within 30 years, that number will more than double to 15 extreme heat days annually.³

For families with central air conditioning, a 97-degree day is uncomfortable. For the 35 million Americans living without any air conditioning at all, it can be fatal.⁴

The Cooling Divide: Who Has Air Conditioning and Who Does Not

A March 2025 study published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition revealed a stark cooling divide across American households.⁵ Renters are more than twice as likely to lack air conditioning as homeowners. In both single-family and multifamily buildings, tenants face dramatically reduced access to the most basic protection against deadly heat.

The disparities cut across every demographic line. Hispanic and Asian households are significantly more likely to have no AC at all. Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and multi-racial households are between 1.2 and 1.7 times more likely to rely on window units — which are far less effective than central air conditioning at maintaining safe indoor temperatures during prolonged heat events.⁵

Income amplifies the gap. Working-class households are nearly three times as likely to depend on window units compared to upper-income families. And housing age matters: homes built before 1960 are three times more likely to lack AC entirely and four times more likely to have only window units.⁵

In Monmouth County, where Freehold Borough's housing stock includes rentals dating to the early 20th century, these statistics have names and addresses. A senior on a fixed income in a second-floor apartment without central air. A family of five in a pre-war building where the landlord has never installed AC. A single parent who cannot afford both the window unit and the electric bill to run it.

A Death Toll That Has Reversed Course

For years, public health experts believed the United States was winning the battle against heat mortality. Better access to cooling, improved emergency response, and heat warning systems appeared to be working. But a landmark 2024 study published in JAMA shattered that assumption.¹

From 1999 to 2016, heat-related death rates declined modestly — about 1.4% per year. Then the trend reversed. From 2016 to 2023, heat-related mortality surged by 16.8% per year. The 2,325 heat deaths recorded in 2023 were the highest in the entire 25-year study period.¹

The researchers noted that the true toll is likely even higher, since heat is a contributing factor in many cardiac, respiratory, and renal deaths that are not coded as heat-related on death certificates. The people most vulnerable — the elderly, the unhoused, those with chronic illness, and those without cooling — are the same populations least visible in official statistics.

New Jersey Is Responding — But Is It Enough?

New Jersey has taken notable steps. In January 2026, Governor Murphy signed the Code Red bill (S2346) into law, creating a pilot program to shelter at-risk individuals during extreme heat events and poor air quality days.⁶ The law appropriates $2.5 million and mandates cooling center activation when the National Weather Service declares a heat advisory or the Air Quality Index exceeds 151.

The NJ Board of Public Utilities launched a $5 million Urban Heat Island Mitigation Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2026, funding cooling infrastructure in vulnerable communities.⁷ The program includes up to $1 million grants for neighborhood-scale cooling projects, $500,000 for upgrading public buildings into resilience hubs, and $50,000 micro-grants for community-led interventions like shaded bus stops and water stations.

And the NJ Economic Development Authority's NJ Cool program has committed $30 million to retrofitting commercial and institutional buildings in overburdened communities with lower-emission heating and cooling systems.⁸

These programs represent real investment. But they are largely infrastructure-focused. They retrofit public buildings and commercial properties. They plant trees and install cool pavements. What they do not do — and what almost no program does — is put an air conditioning unit in the bedroom of a 78-year-old renter in Freehold who has never had one.

What This Means for Our Community

Monmouth County sits at the intersection of these converging crises. Our aging housing stock, our growing renter population, and our proximity to rising coastal temperatures mean that extreme heat will hit hardest in the communities already bearing the greatest burden.

Freehold Borough, where 52% of residents are Hispanic or Latino, exemplifies the gap. Many families rent older homes without central air. Many work outdoor or labor-intensive jobs with limited heat protections. When temperatures spike, they face a double bind: the homes they can afford are the homes least equipped to keep them safe, and the electric bills required to run even a window unit can push a household that was barely getting by into crisis.

Love of Humanity's Climate Energy Relief program was designed for exactly this convergence. Our work does not stop when winter ends. Energy burden is a year-round crisis. The same families who face utility shutoffs in March face dangerous indoor temperatures in July. The same households that cannot afford heating bills in January cannot afford cooling bills in August.

We are preparing to expand our direct assistance to include summer cooling support — helping families access AC units, covering the increased electricity costs of running them, and connecting residents to every state and federal program available.

How You Can Help

If you or someone you know faces dangerous heat exposure, call NJ 211 (dial 2-1-1) to find local cooling centers and energy assistance programs. LIHEAP's cooling assistance component can help eligible families with summer electricity costs.

If you are a landlord or property manager, consider the health impact of your cooling infrastructure. A window unit costs less than $200. For a tenant without one, it can mean the difference between a safe summer and a medical emergency.

If you are a donor or community partner, know that the need does not pause between seasons. Your support right now allows us to build the infrastructure — AC units, emergency funds, application assistance — before the first heat wave arrives. Preparation is always cheaper than response.

Every degree matters. Every household matters. And in a county where the number of extreme heat days is set to double within a generation, every month of preparation counts.