Rising temperatures and increasing electricity costs are placing additional pressure on households already struggling to afford adequate cooling for their homes. Yet state and federal policies and funding do not offer the same support for air conditioning in hotter months as heating in colder months, according to a new analysis of the intersecting impacts of extreme heat and energy affordability.

Ashley Ward (Nicholas Institute, Duke University) and Angel Hsu (Data-Driven EnviroLab, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) joined WUNC's "Due South" to talk about heat challenges facing both urban and rural regions, tips for navigating the heat when running air conditioning at full blast isn’t an option and community-driven approaches to help protect everyone.

"[Heat] is not just a humanitarian problem," writes Nicholas Institute expert Ashley Ward. "It is a systemic stress on American productivity. So, we should present it in language every major American institution understands: risk management."

Ward outlines three necessary shifts for heat policy to evolve in the United States in a commentary published by NC Newsline.

People dealing with record summer heat waves across the United States and Europe aren’t getting much of a respite when the sun goes down, reports The Week. In cases where the temperature after sundown doesn’t drop below 75 to 80 degrees, people are “not getting the opportunity for recovery overnight, as we’ve historically seen,” said Nicholas Institute expert Ashley Ward.

Treating extreme heat as a public health issue dramatically underplays its economic tolls for communities and sectors, argues Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub. Ward writes in a new article that decision-makers should look to cybersecurity as a model for translating heat's material risks into defined financial categories.

California leads the nation in extreme heat policy but still faces key gaps in coordination, funding and protections, according to a new report by Duke University researchers.

Even after sunset, temperatures have remained elevated in central North Carolina in recent days, making it harder for the body to recover from prolonged exposure to the heat. Nicholas Institute expert Ashley Ward talked with ABC11 about the risks of high overnight temperatures.

Warm nights can pose additional dangers during heat waves. Heat Policy Innovation Hub Director Ashley Ward told WFAE that ensuring a cool sleeping environment can reduce the health risks associated with consecutive days of hot temperatures. “Prioritize cooling your bedroom, because that’s going to be a smaller area to cool, less expensive to cool," she said. "Also, that allows your body to have that important recovery time overnight."

Three Duke University experts, including Heat Policy Innovation Hub director Ashley Ward, discuss how heat affects health and share how individuals and communities can stay safe. 

Heat waves are becoming longer, stronger, and deadlier than ever. Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, explained the mechanism to Tech Times: "The baseline is warmer. So, when a heat dome or a high-pressure system sets up, it's now starting from a hotter floor."

Under a heat dome in the eastern half of the United States, millions are suffering through extreme heat, and nights don't bring much relief. Nicholas Institute expert Ashley Ward spoke with NPR's Morning Edition about what makes this heat different and how people can stay safe.

Record-breaking heat waves aren't letting up—even at night. That spells trouble for the body's ability to recover after heat exposure. "We're seeing temperatures well into the evening that are staying shockingly high and, in some cases, never dropping below 80 or 75 degrees," Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, told NPR. "Our bodies need [recovery time], of course, but plants and animals … also our energy infrastructure. We need to be able to cool off overnight."

Higher average temperatures due to climate change are making heat waves more common and extreme. Vox quotes Nicholas Institute expert Ashley Ward's recent appearance on NPR: “When a heat dome or a high-pressure system sets up, it’s now starting from a hotter floor. That makes the extreme heat more likely.”

There's not an absolute temperature at which extreme heat turns dangerous—humidity and wind flow are also key risk factors, reports NPR. "If it's a very humid day and there's no wind speed, then you are more at risk, even if the air temperature is lower," said Nicholas Institute expert Ashley Ward.

Residents in temperate places like Vermont have been eyeing adding air conditioning to homes that previously didn't need it. But these updates come with a host of other considerations.

“It’s not just whether you can afford an air conditioner," Heat Policy Innovation Hub Director Ashley Ward told VTDigger. "It’s, can the energy providers’ supply meet the increased demand of cooling? Is cooling affordable in those communities to people who haven’t budgeted for needing to air condition their home?”