City Council members introduced a new proposal requiring air conditioning in residential buildings

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque City Councilwoman Tammy Fiebelkorn knows the need for cooling units inside every residential building in Albuquerque will require some upgrades. But she wants to make sure landlords have enough time to help tenants survive the summer heat.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe and comfortable in their home,” said City Councilwoman Tammy Fablecorn.

Fiebelkorn believes this means keeping the thermostat at a reasonable temperature year-round.

“We have vulnerable populations: older people, young people, children, people with health problems. They just can’t afford to sit in their homes with temperatures over 90 degrees,” Fiblekorn said.

Fiebelkorn is sponsoring a new proposal that would require all residential buildings in Albuquerque to be equipped with a cooling unit capable of maintaining temperatures at or below 80 degrees.

“And I will note that 80 degrees is still pretty warm, but it’s just a baseline that everyone in our community should expect, no matter how much or how little they can afford to pay in rent,” Fiebelkorn said.

Average summer temperatures in Albuquerque are nearly 3 degrees warmer than in 1970, according to the National Weather Service.

After record heat in 2023, Fiblekorn says it’s time for government leaders to step in to keep Burqueños cool.

“We’re looking at older, older buildings that were built to old building codes when it wasn’t as hot, before climate change started to seriously impact Albuquerque. We don’t need it, but we need it now,” Fiebelkorn said.

Fiebelkorn says it’s difficult to determine how many housing units currently lack some kind of cooling device.

“More than 43% of Albuquerque’s apartment buildings were built before 1980, and many of those apartments did not have central air conditioning,” said Alan Lasek of the New Mexico Apartment Association.

He suggests that the 80-degree threshold would essentially ban the use of swamp coolers, and the cost of air conditioning conversions typically ranges from $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,” Lasek said.

Fiebelkorn believes that cooling is something that cannot be negotiated.

“I’m sorry if anyone has that concern, but it’s really just a basic requirement to keep people in the unit,” Fablecorn said.

Fiebelkorn’s proposal would change the city’s uniform building code, which Lazek said would also affect single-family homes.

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