Why Mayor Mamdani's AC Rule Is Causing a Chill at City Hall
Zo’s so cold.
Temperatures inside City Hall plunged as low as 54 degrees Thursday during the ongoing heat wave — despite Mayor Zohran Mamdani urging New Yorkers to set their air conditioners to a balmy 78, The Post found.
Sweaty Post reporters armed with an infrared thermometer tested 20 spots within City Hall and other municipal offices and buildings they were able to access — and all but five of them were below 78 degrees.
The “heat for thee, but not for me” revelation comes after Mamdani got roasted online Wednesday when he recommended New Yorkers set their AC to 78 degrees or higher to help avert potentially dangerous Con Edison power outages.
“Maybe the mayor shouldn’t tell New Yorkers to sacrifice their comfort if he isn’t willing to do the same,” scoffed David Carr (R-Staten Island), the City Council’s minority leader.
Most of the locations tested by The Post hovered a degree or two off the Mamdani-approved benchmark at around noon — two hours before Central Park hit 100 degrees for the first time in more than a decade.
But by 4:30 p.m., temperatures had plummeted even more in the mayor’s office building, with the air in one room testing at a sweater weather-worthy 54 degrees.
The democratic socialist Hizzoner drew scores of half-baked “warmth of collectivism” jokes Wednesday after issuing the recommendation, though past mayors such as Eric Adams and Bill de Blasio gave the same advice during heat waves during their tenures.
The US Department of Energy likewise suggests people keep their thermostats at 75 degrees to 78 degrees Fahrenheit over the summer.
Mamdani, while issuing his own recommendation, also contended city buildings would lead by example.
“Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings, dimming/turning off our lights during peak electricity demand, asking private partners to do the same, and powering down non-essential equipment,” he posted on X.
But the fancy thermometer told a different story.
Temperatures in City Hall near the mayor’s second-floor office, the Rotunda, the Governors’ Room and the City Council’s chambers all stood at 77 degrees at 12 p.m. The mayor’s first-floor press office was 78 degrees at the same time.
But shortly afterward, a veritable cold snap hit City Hall. Outside Mamdani’s office, the temperature had dropped to 74 degrees.
In the Governor’s Room steps away from the mayor’s office, where folks were scurrying around prepping a teleprompter, cameras and lights for Mamdani’s Fourth of July address Friday, it also dipped down to 74 degrees.
The Rotunda dropped to 64 degrees.
One of the lowest readings — 62 degrees — came near the first-floor mayor’s press office at 1:30 p.m., as Mamdani’s communication minions and other staffers congregated on their side of the building.
The air drafting from the AC unit in the press radio room — where reporters frequently complain about frigid temps — tested at 54 degrees.
The swag-filled CityStore within the Manhattan Municipal Building likewise tested at 64 degrees, ensuring chilly tchotchkes for tourists and New Yorkers filled with hometown pride.
Staff in several municipal buildings and offices — such as those for sanitation and health — blocked reporters from going inside when they were informed about the project.
While many city workers sat inside cool offices, security and cops in hallways sat in 80-plus-degree temperatures — and weren’t even given fans. The hallways and lobbies in the Dinkins Building clocked at 80 degrees, while the elevators broiled at 89 degrees.
The Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, which sat empty, tested at 81 degrees.
“The Mayor set the temperature at Gracie Mansion to 78 degrees yesterday afternoon,” said Mamdani spokesman Jeremy Edwards.
City Hall’s temps were also set to the recommended levels late Thursday after The Post turned up the heat on the office, Edwards confirmed.
Mamdani’s top spokesperson Joe Calvello — who doesn’t allow people to comment on his own posts — spent much of Thursday rage-posting on X against critics of Mamdani recommending the 78-degree AC setting.
“This practice of asking New Yorkers to set their AC to 78 degrees dates back to Dear Communist Leader Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani,” he replied to Barstool Sports founder and Mamdani critic Dave Portnoy.
The brouhaha over Mamdani’s AC edict unfolded as roughly 5,000 Con Edison customers in The Bronx lost power.
“Due to an electric problem in Riverdale, we had to shut off power to some customers temporarily to prevent more extended outages,” a statement from the utility reads. “We’re completing repairs as quickly as possible.”