Jessica Onsurez, News Director at The Las Cruces Sun News, covers the area's top business stories including how heat can mean higher utility bills and what what Dona Ana County has in common with L.A. County when it comes to real estate. Here is a transcript of her conversation with KC Counts:
KC Counts:
Obviously, Jessica, we see the physical toll that this extreme heat can cause, but there's also a financial toll.
Jessica Onsurez:
Correct. So, for those of us who know to stay inside, to stay cool in this New Mexico heat, especially since it's going to last, it can add up in terms of dollar signs to your utility bills at the end of the month. While we might only experience a few days of really high heat, that can actually, according to some data, result in a $20 to $50 jump in your utility bill. And we all know that utility bills in New Mexico are already high, especially those energy bills. Now, if you're finding other ways to try to keep cool, sometimes that also results in bigger bills for consumers in the area. For example, we were talking about some tips and tricks with Las Cruces residents who say, “hey, you know, sometimes we just wet down the ground around our house, to make sure that it stays cool in the general area. Yes, but that results in high water bills sometimes as well. But there are some cost-effective ways to keep cool and save that money for something that's a little more needed. You know the city of Las Cruces, for example, has opened up some cooling stations that are open to residents to go and take a break. And try leaving all your lights off when you leave the house in the morning, and as you are occupying it in the evening to bring down those energy bills as well. We were looking at recent reports about how our energy grid also might suffer overall and sometimes those costs are passed on to utility users. So, the less you can draw from the overall grid, the better. It is not only for you, but for your fellow New Mexicans.
KC Counts:
And I imagine from a business standpoint, the little plastic pool business is booming right about now.
Jessica Onsurez:
So you know, it's funny what kind of data you see happens on triple digit days. You see petty crime and violence go up and you see sales of these little things like plastic pools also go up. So definitely, as people are seeking relief from the heat, it has an impact on the economy overall.
KC Counts:
Mm-hmm. Alright. Well, moving on to Gary Sandler's column on the similarities that he found between Dona Ana County and LA County, which is surprising on its face.
Jessica Onsurez:
So for those of you who don't follow the real estate industry or real estate in general, it can come as a surprise. Gary Sandler, longtime columnist for the Las Cruces Sun News, writes one every week. And it always has some interesting data in it, but this last week, Gary was talking about how Los Angeles County in California and Dona Ana County are roughly the same size, so it's about 4000 square miles, but the interesting thing there is the population estimates and how we actually occupy that space. I'm not unfamiliar with local residents talking about how we need more housing in the region, and that might be certain, but at this point, according to Gary, we fit about 59 people per square mile. When you think about that in terms of Los Angeles County, that's about 2400 people in each square mile. So when you think about the business of building new housing for residents and those just moving into Dona Ana County, you really want to consider about how tightly we already are squeezed in and what more can be done to get people into homes in this region.
KC Counts:
All right, you can read more on these stories at LC sun-news.com. Jessica, thanks so much for the update. Have a great week and stay cool.
Jessica Onsurez:
Thanks for having me.
