Free air conditioners and power cost help
Resident asks for an AC unit distribution program with funding to offset electricity costs, helping low-income residents stay cool and safe during heat waves.
English title and summary written with AI from the resident's text.
The resident's idea, as submitted
The idea
It's increasingly becoming a luxury to keep cool during the summer and early fall months. An AC unit distribution program with funding to offset the cost of powering them would ease the financial burden that comes with staying cool and safe indoors.
Who it helps and why
This project advances social and racial equity in Boston by addressing the environmental impact of heat related weather events. The barrier to getting an AC and powering it is not universally low for all residents and communities in the city. Namely, low-income residents and communities of color are disproportionately harmed with each heat wave. And they are only getting hotter with time. By (1) providing free AC units to residents and (2) offsetting the cost of running them with funding, the city can provide crucial support in the wake of unprecedented environmental change.
Details
- Cycle
- 2025–26
- Submitted
- July 3, 2025
- Neighborhood
- City-wide
- Portal category
- Sustainability
- How it was submitted
- Individual submission
- Submission language
- English
Themes grouped with AI from resident idea text.
The same need in other cycles
City-wide ideas in Affordable housing & rent stability from the other cycles, up to 3 from each.
2026–27 (60 matching)
- More affordable housing and apartmentsResident asks for more affordable housing and apartments to increase residents' spending power and reduce homelessness.2026–27City-wide
- Public senior and disabled housing with healthcareBuild government-owned and operated public housing for seniors and disabled people with adjacent subsidized healthcare, to reduce homelessness risk among those without care access.2026–27City-wide
- Vacancy tax on residential and commercial propertiesThe resident proposes a vacancy tax on empty residential and commercial properties so housing can be provided to people who need it, improving social equity.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
2024–25 (62 matching)
- Programs for affordable housingResident asks for programs that provide affordable housing, saying everyone deserves access to housing.2024–25City-wide
- Rent control plus pothole and rodent fixesResident asks for rent caps, pothole repair, rodent control, tax refunds and traffic relief, citing high cost of living.2024–25City-wide
- More deeply affordable housing in mixed-income buildingsResident asks the city to build more deeply affordable housing for extremely low-income households within mixed-income developments, helping workers live closer to jobs.2024–25City-wide