City councilors introduce new proposal to require A/C in housing units

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn knows requiring cooling devices inside every housing unit in Albuquerque will require some upgrades. But she wants to make sure landlords have enough time to help their tenant beat the summer heat. 

“Everyone deserves to be safe and comfortable in their own homes,” said City Councilor Tammy Fieblekorn.

Fiebelkorn believes that means keeping the thermostat at a reasonable temperature all year round. 

“We have vulnerable populations, seniors, young people, children, people with medical problems. They just cannot afford to sit in 90 plus degree temperatures in their own homes,” said Fieblekorn. 

Fiebelkorn is sponsoring a new proposal to require all housing units in Albuquerque be equipped with a cooling device that can keep temperatures at or below 80 degrees.

“And I’ll point out that 80 degrees is still pretty warm, but that is just the baseline that everyone in our community should expect, no matter how much or how little they can afford to pay for rent,” Fiebelkorn said. 

According to National Weather Service data, the average summer temperatures in Albuquerque are nearly 3 degrees higher than in 1970.

After a record heat wave in 2023, Fieblekorn says it’s time government leaders step in to keep Burqueños cool.

“We’re looking at older, older buildings that were built under old building codes under old requirements when it wasn’t so hot before climate change started really impacting Albuquerque. We didn’t need this, but we do now,” said Fiebelkorn.

Fiebelkorn says it’s hard to know how many housing units do not currently have some type of cooling device.

“More than 43% of Albuquerque’s apartment buildings were constructed before 1980, and many of these units have not been retrofitted with central air conditioning,” said Alan Laseck with the Apartment Association of New Mexico. 

He suggests that the 80-degree threshold will essentially ban the use of swamp coolers, and A/C conversions typically range between $5,000 to $15,000 per unit.

 “We absolutely agree that cooling is very important in Albuquerque, but the language in this ordinance is too restrictive,” said Laseck. 

Fiebelkorn believes cooling is just something that can’t be negotiated.

“I’m sorry if there’s anyone that has that concern, but this is really just a baseline requirement for humans to be able to stay in a unit,” said Fieblekorn. 

Fiebelkorn’s proposal would change the city’s uniform building code, which Laseck says would also impact single-family homes.

Fiebelkorn’s proposal is still in the committee process, and likely won’t reach the full council for a vote until December.