El Paso County ranks 1st in Texas for households without air conditioning: US Census

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso County has one of the highest rates of Texas residents without air conditioning, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. An estimated 10,964 households have to brave the heat without AC, according to an analysis of local air conditioning estimates.

The same data estimated 10,747,240 Texas households have AC -- ranking the state to have the ninth-highest coverage. However, El Paso County ranks first with an estimated 3.7% of households without AC.

For residents like Anyalo Martinez, an increased electric bill can create too much of a financial burden to keep the cool air on. Others may not be able to afford a swamp cooler or refrigerated air.

Martinez told ABC-7 his family uses alternative cooling methods like using fans, sleeping without a shirt or taking cool showers during the day.

The El Paso Extreme Weather Task Force has been offering fans to households in need. To see if you qualify for a free fan, dial 211.

The city has a designated list of buildings that have free air conditioning. According to the city's website, these locations are open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.:

• Galatzan Recreation Center - 650 Wallenberg Dr
• Marty Robbins Recreation Center - 11620 Vista Del Sol Dr
• Valle Bajo Community Center - 7380 Alameda
• Nations Tobin Sports Center - 8831 Railroad
• Chalio Acosta Sports Center - 4321 Delta