More than two dozen cooling systems are expected to be installed in Las Cruces this summer as part of an ongoing effort to reduce the urban heat island effect.
As defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, heat islands occur when one part of a given metropolitan area is measurably hotter than anything surrounding it due to the presence of concrete and cement.
Those building materials tend to absorb and hold onto solar radiation, a pattern that is often exacerbated in some urban sections that are also lacking trees.
In a study earlier, taken on by the City of Las Cruces, it was determined that the temperatures in certain low-income neighborhoods were up to 14 degrees higher than other neighborhoods.
In response, the city committed itself to a program that would see the installation of heat pumps in a handful of homes, which are thought to be more efficient than swamp coolers and air conditioners.
Poorly named, heat pumps use electricity to move heat from an interior space to the outdoors. Conversely in the winter months they can be used to warm a house.
Las Cruces has received around $700,000 in funding for the heat pump program from the Department of Energy for 30 homes. Whether the City will receive additional funding to expand the effort is currently unknown as questions have been raised wondering if the agency is still behind such programs.
Earlier this month the Energy Department announced that it is withdrawing up to $3.7 billion in awards for carbon capture projects to “increase accountability and promote responsible financial stewardship of American taxpayer dollars.”
At the same time, the agency has issued information explaining the tax credits and incentives available for individual homeowners to install heat pumps.
June 30, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Image courtesy of Pixabay
