Unless you were on vacation, you probably noticed the extreme heat which dropped into the Boston area last week, especially in the Merrimack Valley. While the blast was 2024’s first foray into 90-degree days, it probably won’t be the only one.
Here’s what to know about staying cool in Eastern Massachusetts (head to the Cape!) and how you can be more comfortable at home (more likely than a midweek escape), even when your air conditioning is pushed to the brink. Learn how to beat the heat.
Hot weather in Boston (and surrounding areas)
Last year’s El Niño meant a cooler and wetter summer, but after El Niño we usually see a La Niña summer, which brings warmer and drier conditions. The recent heat wave was the first of the year, but there’s a decent chance it won’t be the last from the La Niña. In 2021 and 2022 the Boston area saw more than 20 days above 90 degrees.
While Boston gets hot, the areas further north, toward the Massachusetts border and even more so into southern New Hampshire, get much hotter.
The CBS News meteorological team in Boston had this message: While this is the warmed June stretch we’ve had in a few years, we’ve had 30-35 June heat weaves in Boston over the last 150 years. So a June heat wave? Not that unusual. What’s unusual is temps pushing 100 degrees with high humidity. We expect this in Florida, not in Massachusetts.
Why multi-day heat waves are extra dangerous
When a single-day heat wave comes through, it’s easy enough for many of us to find a cool spot to hang out until evening (especially if we’re at work). But when a heat wave spans multiple days, as this year’s La Niña portends, we run into different problems.
When it’s very hot — like over 90 degrees hot — our blood pressure goes up. If you already have high blood pressure, this can be dangerous. Especially for children, older adults, and those who work outside. Learn how to stay cool from the CDC.
When it’s also very humid (75% dew points were recorded in the last heat wave), our sweat doesn’t evaporate and therefore our bodies aren’t cooling down the natural way either.
But worse still, we don’t get to cool off at night. The scientific community says humans are better able to bear high daytime temperatures when the nighttime temps drop significantly.
Even when nighttime temperatures drop, they may not go down enough for comfortable sleeping. Most Americans already don’t get enough sleep, so these heat waves can cause additional (and damaging) sleep deprivation.
Finding a way to keep cool, especially at night, isn’t just about your comfort, it’s also about your health.
Your air conditioner’s life span
You probably already know how your air conditioning system fared in the heatwave. Whether you have central air (like 95% of Boston-area air-conditioned homes) or rely on in-room units (like 5% of Boston-area homes) you may have noticed excessive noise or inadequate cooling — both are signs that your AC needs some TLC.
If you heard the machine groaning, if you smelled odd smells coming from the ducts in your house, or if you just weren’t able to cool your home down enough, it’s time to get your AC looked at and probably time to replace it.
Most professionally-installed air conditioner brands carry warranties for 10 years, but it depends on the manufacturer and even the specific model — some are limited to one year for certain parts. Your home warranty might also cover repair and replacement options.
Time to consider an upgrade
If you’re anywhere near the end of your AC system’s lifespan, don’t wait to replace it. When it’s hot outside, demand for licensed HVAC contractors (like Home Mechanics) goes up and you may have to go even longer without a comfortable situation at home. In this last heat wave we had a significant increase in phone calls from homeowners with failing air conditioners.
In the past, your only option was to replace your whole-home air conditioning with another whole-home solution. Now you have choices that may work better for you.
Add additional AC to your bedrooms where you need it most
Maybe wholescale replacement of your central AC isn’t in the financial cards for you right now, but you can add a heat pump and a few mini-split units to your bedrooms to make sure everyone sleeps comfortably. Plus, you’ll take some of the pressure off your primary air conditioning unit and delay that purchase (possibly indefinitely).
A ductless solution, like the heat pump mini-split mentioned earlier, doesn’t rely on your existing ductwork and is significantly more energy efficient than central HVAC systems. The Energy Department says we lose up to 30% of our efficiency due to leaking ducts!
Even better, the State of Massachusetts is keen on getting its residents to switch to more energy-efficient ways to heat and cool their homes via the popular Mass Save program. This program offers a suite of rebates and 0% interest loan options available to defray the costs of installing it. There are also Federal tax credits available for heat pump installations.
Take a look at your attic
Believe it or not, your attic is likely responsible for a significant amount of excess heat in the summer and inadequate heat in the winter. Attics are often inadequately insulated, so heat finds its way in and gets trapped (there are rarely windows or central HVAC ducts up there).
To make matters worse, the insulation between the attic and the main house is also often poor, allowing a lot of that heat to leak into living spaces.
Mass Save also offers insulation rebates and a free Home Energy Assessment to find out how much you could save on energy costs during future heat waves.
There are places in the home that are perfect for ductless mini-split air conditioning.
Top reasons to switch to a heat pump
If you’re not sure why you’d switch to a mini-split heat pump setup, here are the primary benefits. You can learn more why you’ll love the heat pump approach here.
- Energy Efficiency
- Cost Savings
- Increased Comfort at Home
- Flexible & Easy Installation
Before you do anything, get a no-cost Home Energy Assessment courtesy of Mass Save. These approved home energy contractors will come out and identify all of the places your home is wasting energy.
They will introduce you to new ways of conserving energy at home — including ductless heat pumps and mini-splits — because Mass Save offers big rebates when you replace old school central AC with modern low-energy alternatives in Massachusetts.