Decibel
The Urban Heat Island
Clip | 7m 12sVideo has Closed Captions
Parts of Austin are nearly 8 degrees hotter than others, so who's feeling the heat?
Austin has dealt with record-breaking heat this summer. But some areas of town are hotter than others, and that can mean higher energy bills for residents. But where is this happening, and who’s paying more to stay cool?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Decibel is a local public television program presented by Austin PBS
Funding for Decibel is provided in part by Texas Mutual and Roxanne Elder & Scott Borders
Decibel
The Urban Heat Island
Clip | 7m 12sVideo has Closed Captions
Austin has dealt with record-breaking heat this summer. But some areas of town are hotter than others, and that can mean higher energy bills for residents. But where is this happening, and who’s paying more to stay cool?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Decibel
Decibel is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
[Reporter] Bertha Hernandez lives in Dove Springs and selling her homemade tamales and pupusas is her main source of income.
But she's making less money this year.
Austin has dealt with record breaking heat this summer.
But some areas of town are hotter than others, and that can mean higher energy bills for residents.
But where is this happening?
And who's paying more to stay cool?
[music plays] [Reporter] So which areas are hotter?
Marc Coudert is with the City of Austin's Office of Resilience and he's been looking into this.
[Marc] We have data that shows heat from satellites and it mostly shows areas like parking lots, the airport and so on.
And that's valuable information, but doesn't really tell you what's happening on the ground level.
[Reporter] So the City of Austin teamed up with researchers at the University of Texas to see exactly what was going on.
What they found was higher temperatures in places with less greenery.
This is called the urban heat island effect.
But what is it and how does it work?
Dr. Dev Niyogi with U.T.
explains.
[Dev] The solar radiation that comes in over this urban areas, it gets absorbed into the streets, into the steel, into all the infrastructure that is required.
And so when you measure the temperatures, you will get that there are blobs which are much hotter.
It can look like an island, and that's where it gets referred to as a urban heat island.
Those temperatures could be different by anywhere between 5 to 10 degrees.
[Reporter] This is what Bertha and others are dealing with.
Areas with impervious cover absorb and reflect the sun's rays, increasing temperatures.
But not everyone is feeling the heat.
[Dev] It is not uniform across the city.
Some parts of the city it is much cooler than other parts of the city are much, much warmer.
[Marc] North Austin was particularly sensitive to heat.
But we also understood that the whole Eastern Crescent from Rundburg, Montopolis down to Dove Springs are heavily sensitive to heat.
[Reporter] Why the different temperatures?
Some of this can be traced back to redlining practices that started in the 1930s, when the federal government labeled non-white neighborhoods as risky places to invest home loans.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, research shows that redlined communities have less vegetative cover, higher temperatures and increased health risks.
[Marc] If you look at maps that look at health outcomes or maps that look at race or income, they essentially show the same maps.
And we, through talking to community members, understand that they are the most sensitive to heat but also cold, bad air quality and so on.
[Reporter] These neighborhoods also often have older homes that can be harder to keep cool, according to Dr. Zoltan Nagy.
He says architecture and climate change at the University of Texas.
[Zoltan] So older homes are particularly vulnerable to this.
You have, you know, you single pane windows, the holes around the windows hot air comes in directly, not just through heat transfer, but mass transfer.
So that hot air comes in or the cold air goes out.
Plus, of course, over time you deteriorate.
So anything built before the eighties is probably not even insulated at this point.
[Reporter] Many homes in Dove Springs, including Bertha's, were built in the seventies.
And older homes, plus higher temperatures equals higher energy bills.
[Dev] They happen to be in neighborhoods where you probably don't have very energy efficient homes.
And clearly, as a result of that, you need to generate more energy use to cool the house.
And as a result of that, you are going to have to pay more.
[Zoltan] There is another thing that happens, which is that those who cannot afford it delay energy use and so they turn their HVAC on a lot later.
It's a lot warmer inside.
And so that creates all kinds of adverse like health effects.
And then because due to climate change, it gets worse outside, right?
Maybe you delayed turning on the A.C., but then the conditions lasts longer and longer.
So it's really not good.
[Marc] So they have to make a decision between not using energy and staying cool.
And that's a very hard conversation to have.
[Reporter] It's a conversation Bertha has had more than once.
[Reporter] Heat has pushed electricity bills higher for everyone.
But for lower income households that increase is harder to deal with.
[Dev] The cost associated, it might seem like it is $50 more, but that $50 would be quite different as against certain neighborhoods that this might be a significant dent in the monthly budget.
[Reporter] That can also make it difficult to add expensive upgrades.
[Zoltan] The problem with things like insulation or better windows or a proper ceiling is that it's very expensive, so energy is too cheap basically, in some sense.
[Reporter] Cities can take steps to turn down the heat.
Marc and his team are making recommendations to the city council that include adding trees and improving bus stops, but they agree that action needs to be taken and quickly.
[Marc] We need to be thinking about what we need today, but also what are strategies going to be doing in the next year or two years as climate change gets worse?
[Reporter] For now, Bertha says she'll continue to get out early and get back inside before the temperature rises.
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 19s | How one Rundberg group is keeping people out of jail. (4m 19s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 15m 48s | Does the neighborhood deserve its dangerous reputation? And if so, what can be done about it? (15m 48s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 9s | A Rundberg makerspace builds a new kind of creative community. (5m 9s)
What Even Is The Big Beautiful Bill?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 7m 19s | How will sweeping new legislation impact Rundberg? (7m 19s)
What Is The STAAR Test, And Why Is So Much Riding On It?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 10m 37s | Why does this test dominate so much space in and out of the classroom? (10m 37s)
A district-managed restart for Dobie means a final curtain call for many teachers
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 8m 2s | Dobie teachers find themselves lost in the looking glass under new district-managed restart plan. (8m 2s)
They Started A Newspaper. Then Their School Became The Story.
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 7m 28s | The uncertain future of a middle school, as reported by their newspaper class. (7m 28s)
Making Space For The Future Of Rundberg
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 14s | Nate Koehler is using a few hours at an after school program to build successful futures for kids. (4m 14s)
Why AISD Might Close Dobie To Save The District
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 54s | Rundberg's middle school faces closure to avoid a state takeover of the district. (5m 54s)
How One Group Is Feeding Rundberg While Fasting For Ramadan
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 56s | While fasting for Ramadan, one groups feeds their souls by helping others. (5m 56s)
The Texas Lege Wants To Pass School Vouchers. How Will It Impact Lower-Income Communities?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 7m 52s | What are school vouchers? And if signed into law, what will they look like in Texas? (7m 52s)
How Las Promotoras de Salud are keeping their neighbors healthy
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 6m 36s | Medical complications took her husband’s life. She ensures her neighbors don’t go through it too. (6m 36s)
Growing Community At Garden Storytime
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 32s | See how one librarian is introducing kids to green spaces, one story at a time. (3m 32s)
Tết, Tradition, & Training: How Lion Dancers Are Keeping North Austin Culture Alive
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 45s | One local dance group is helping keep traditions alive and start the year off with a literal bang. (4m 45s)
Touring Rundberg with Jose Carrasco
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 40s | Decibel tours Rundberg with Jose Carrasco. (5m 40s)
What Is 'The Program' And Could Austin Need It Again?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 9m 13s | Will a program meant to get people out of flood zones be needed again in Austin? (9m 13s)
How Is This Local Food Bank Fighting Against High Food Costs And Less Donations?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 36s | Families are struggling with food costs. So are the food banks they’re going to for help. (5m 36s)
They’re Getting Offered Thousands Of Dollars For Their Homes. He Says They Deserve More
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 13s | One Dove Springs resident is making sure his neighbors know how much their homes are really worth. (5m 13s)
“There Needs To Be Some Changes”: Austinites Split On HOME Phase 2
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 33s | The minimum lot size for single family homes drops to 1800 square feet. (5m 33s)
Who's Getting Lower Rents In Austin?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 7m 37s | Rent is falling across the city. But many residents are seeing their rent continue to go up. (7m 37s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 31s | They took the job to help neighbors find housing resources. They're helping with more. (4m 31s)
‘Where Do They Go?’: Voucher Holders Struggle To Find Housin
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 37s | Austin is the second-worst city in the country for housing voucher holders to find a home. (5m 37s)
The Trail that Wrote Texas History
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 6m 36s | Learn about El Camino Real de los Tejas and how it impacted Texans on and off the roads. (6m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 35s | She helps families with any resources they need. Lately they need help leaving. (4m 35s)
‘The Status Quo Is Just Not Sufficient’: Austinites On HOME
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 23s | Will a land code update fix Austin's housing affordability, or make it worse? (5m 23s)
Are There Still Doves In Dove Springs?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 18s | Are the birds that gave Dove Springs its name still in the area? (4m 18s)
Why Does It Flood In Southeast Austin?
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 6m 57s | Ever wondered why some areas flood more than others? Learn why in the newest Decibel story (6m 57s)
Artist Paints Memories Of Historic Onion Creek Flood
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 32s | A local artist collaborates with flood survivors on a new Austin mural. (5m 32s)
Clip | 4m 53s | One Dove Springs resident struggles with increasing temperatures and electricity bills. (4m 53s)
Now PlayingVideo has Closed Captions
Clip | 7m 12s | Parts of Austin are nearly 8 degrees hotter than others, so who's feeling the heat? (7m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 16s | Shelly Barber wants to help the local transgender community look fabulous and feel loved. (3m 16s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 19s | A new Pflugerville farmer must contend with agricultural challenges. (5m 19s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 10s | Tuan Nguyen brings his family's recipes to Pflugerville residents. (5m 10s)
‘We’re All In It Together’: Community Fights For School Fund
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 27s | Pflugerville community fights for school funding from the state legislature. (4m 27s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 29s | An LGBTQ+ group aims to help their neighbors even in the face of increasing threats. (5m 29s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 7s | Fatema Hirani’s faith asks her to keep the Earth clean. But how do you do that locally? (5m 7s)
Pflugerville ISD Won’t Close Dessau Elementary School
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 41s | PfISD will not be moving forward with a plan that would close Dessau Elementary School. (1m 41s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 37s | Rising costs are shutting the gate on land for a local equine nonprofit (4m 37s)
‘There’s Some Exciting Things Coming’: Mayor Discusses The
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 12s | Pflugerville residents told us what they wanted city leaders to focus on as the city grow (5m 12s)
Pflugerville Residents Pose Questions To Candidates
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 2s | Pflugerville residents share concerns about their growing city. (4m 2s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 21s | One Pflugerville food bank is trying to break bread and stigmas around food assistance. (5m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 59s | Local group tries to preserve historic Black cemetery (4m 59s)
Entrepreneurs Set Up Shop In Pflugerville
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 8s | Owning a business is difficult anywhere, and Pflugerville is no exception. (4m 8s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 42s | Decibel celebrates the end of a year-long project in Del Valle. (2m 42s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 38s | One Del Valle resident is trying to help local kids stay safe while they bike in the area. (4m 38s)
Clip | 4m 36s | La Plaza De Toros R3 owner Jose Hernandez, has struggled to build a business in Del Valle. (4m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 49s | Joseph Vega uses culinary skills to make transformative dishes and change lives. (5m 49s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 7s | A Del Valle family navigating a childhood asthma diagnosis find many health care barriers. (5m 7s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 54s | Del Valle residents struggle to voice concerns on neighborhood water cost and quality. (4m 54s)
‘They Don’t Show Up’: Del Valle's Relationship With Police
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 22s | Del Valle residents describe what law enforcement looks like in their community. (4m 22s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
- News and Public Affairs
Top journalists deliver compelling original analysis of the hour's headlines.
- News and Public Affairs
FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world.
Support for PBS provided by:
Decibel is a local public television program presented by Austin PBS
Funding for Decibel is provided in part by Texas Mutual and Roxanne Elder & Scott Borders