During a Tennessee heat wave, a broken air conditioner can become more than an inconvenience. Fortunately, as NewsChannel 5 reported, some residents may be able to get help staying cool through programs that provide air conditioners, cover repairs, or offset steep summer power bills.
What’s happening?
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its experimental Local Air Conditioning Estimates, offering a county-by-county snapshot of how common AC is across the country. In Tennessee, NewsChannel 5 found that roughly 9 in 10 households have air conditioning, though access varies by county.
Some counties reported nearly universal access, including Wilson County at 99.4% and Rutherford, Williamson, and Chester counties at 99.3%. Others came in notably lower, including Johnson County at 82.5%, Carter County at 92.3%, and Unicoi County at 92.5%.
Help is also available for some people who cannot pay to replace or fix cooling equipment or keep up with higher electric bills, NewsChannel 5 revealed…