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| I'm one of many Vermonters who succumbed to the temptation to buy an air conditioner as summers have generally gotten hotter and hotter. |
Unlike in the past, most of us now have air conditioners, or at least heat pumps that act as air conditioners.
"Two-thirds of Vermonters use air conditioners or heat pumps (which can be used to cool air) at home, according to a 2020 survey by the federal Energy Information Administration. The most common methods are an individual AC unit or ductless heat pump."
Given the fact that 2020, 2021 and 2022 are all in the top ten list of hottest summers, at least as measured in Burlington, I'm sure even more Vermont residents succumbed to the temptation to buy air conditioners.
I used to be one of those people who swore they'd never buy an air conditioner. It used to be stretches of hot, humid weather were usually too brief and too infrequent to bother. But climate change is altering that fact.
I decided to buy an air conditioner in 2018. During an intense early July heat wage, in which Burlington had its hottest overnight low temperature on record, I watched my husband nearly have heat stroke. I watched my dogs suffer to the point I was nearly as worried about them as I was about Jeff. And I was absolutely miserable in that heat.
So we trundled off to the hardware store grabbed one of the few remaining air conditioners in stock during that heat wave, and we haven't looked back.
Vermont Public says that in New England as a whole, the share of households using air conditioning has increased 72 percent since 1991. Back then, New England summers were nearly a degree cooler on average than they are now.
In the immediate future, we only have moderate heat to contend with. It looks like most of next week will be in the low to mid 80s - warm for early June but thankfully not record hot.
Who knows what later June through August will bring, though.
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