Richmond's schools need more AC as back-to-school temperatures get hotter

Richmond's classrooms now need more air conditioning during the back-to-school season than they did over the last 50 years because of increasingly hotter temperatures , according to a new Climate Central report .

Why it matters: Children are among the most vulnerable to heat-related illness, and a school year that's even just one degree hotter can negatively impact learning, says the nonprofit climate research group.

• But maintaining a comfortable environment is harder with a warming climate and deferred costly maintenance at aging schools.
• And most of RPS' buildings are over 40 years old.

By the numbers: There was a 21% increase in back-to-school cooling demand in Richmond between 1970 and 2023, per Climate Central's analysis.

• Roanoke had a 30% jump, the greatest percent change of the six Virginia cities Climate Central looked at, followed by Charlottesville (26%), Norfolk (21%), Lynchburg (11%) and Harrisonburg (9%).

How it works: Climate Central's analysis is based on "cooling degree days" (CDD), which measures the difference between a location's daily average outdoor temperature and 65°F — the "ideal indoor temperature."

• To get Richmond's annual demand, CDD values were added together for every day between July 17 to Sept. 8: the general back-to-school period.
• Between 2014 and 2023, the city had 765 "cooling degree days."

The big picture: It's not just Richmond.

• Cooling demand over the last 50-plus years increased in 95% of nearly 250 locations Climate Central analyzed.
• And in a 2020 report, the Government Accountability Office estimated that about a third of U.S. schools needed HVAC system updates.

Between the lines: Heating issues can also be a concern.

• Back in 2019, RPS students and teachers told the Washington Post that malfunctioning heating and cooling systems made it difficult to focus.
• Last November, Woodville Elementary's heating issues forced students to bundle up indoors because of how cold it was inside, reported NBC12 .

What's next: A $15.3 million grant is headed to RPS to better prepare the district for the growing threat that extreme heat, fueled by human-caused climate change, is posing to schools.

• That, in part, means upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in 22 schools citywide.