While it’s not everything, the period in which your house was built is a major factor in what heating or cooling solutions will be the most effective.
In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at the housing stock of Columbia, Dutchess, Greene and Ulster Counties to see when homes were usually built in the Hudson Valley, and how that affects the cooling options in each place.
Columbia County
| Period | Units | % of Total Housing |
|---|---|---|
| Built 2020 or later | 179 | 0.54% |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 1,534 | 4.60% |
| Built 2000 to 2009 | 2,872 | 8.62% |
| Built 1990 to 1999 | 2,700 | 8.10% |
| Built 1980 to 1989 | 3,227 | 9.68% |
| Built 1970 to 1979 | 4,756 | 14.27% |
| Built 1960 to 1969 | 3,032 | 9.10% |
| Built 1950 to 1959 | 2,923 | 8.77% |
| Built 1940 to 1949 | 1,244 | 3.73% |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 10,864 | 32.59% |
Columbia County’s housing market leans heavily toward older construction: a full 68.5% of homes were built before 1980, with nearly one-third (32.6%) predating 1940. New construction is rare—less than 5.2% of homes have been built since 2010, which means that most existing properties lack modern ductwork or energy-efficient design, as we often see in Hudson.
For summer comfort, homeowners here are far more likely to turn to window air conditioners, portable AC units, or ductless mini-splits than central air, since retrofitting older homes for full ducted systems can be expensive and invasive. Energy-conscious residents may also invest in whole-house fans or strategic shading to keep cooling costs down in these vintage properties.
Dutchess County
| Period | Units | % of Total Housing |
|---|---|---|
| Built 2020 or later | 585 | 0.48% |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 5,446 | 4.44% |
| Built 2000 to 2009 | 10,847 | 8.84% |
| Built 1990 to 1999 | 11,164 | 9.10% |
| Built 1980 to 1989 | 15,131 | 12.34% |
| Built 1970 to 1979 | 19,738 | 16.09% |
| Built 1960 to 1969 | 16,665 | 13.59% |
| Built 1950 to 1959 | 15,076 | 12.29% |
| Built 1940 to 1949 | 5,928 | 4.83% |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 22,056 | 17.98% |
Dutchess County’s housing stock is more evenly spread across the decades, with 57.4% of homes built before 1980 and a healthy share of mid-to-late 20th-century construction. Nearly one in six homes (16.1%) went up during the 1970s alone, and newer builds are more common here than in its neighboring rural counties: 8.9% date to 2000–2009 and 4.4% to 2010–2019. Because so many homes were built in the postwar and suburban expansion eras, central air conditioning is likely more prevalent and/or possible in Dutchess than in counties dominated by pre-1940 stock.
Still, older urban and village cores often rely on window AC units or ductless mini-splits, while newer subdivisions are far more likely to have full ducted central systems. The county’s mix of ages means residents see a broad range of cooling setups.
Greene County
| Period | Units | % of Total Housing |
|---|---|---|
| Built 2020 or later | 95 | 0.33% |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 908 | 3.13% |
| Built 2000 to 2009 | 3,295 | 11.35% |
| Built 1990 to 1999 | 2,885 | 9.94% |
| Built 1980 to 1989 | 4,262 | 14.68% |
| Built 1970 to 1979 | 3,879 | 13.36% |
| Built 1960 to 1969 | 2,662 | 9.17% |
| Built 1950 to 1959 | 2,528 | 8.71% |
| Built 1940 to 1949 | 1,150 | 3.96% |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 7,373 | 25.39% |
Greene County blends historic charm with pockets of modern development. About 66.0% of homes were built before 1980, including more than a quarter (25.4%) from before 1940. At the same time, Greene leads the region in certain newer build eras: 11.4% of its housing stock was built in the 2000s, and 14.7% in the 1980s, reflecting spurts of growth tied to second-home buyers and Catskills tourism.
Older housing, especially in mountain hamlets and riverfront villages, often lacks ductwork, pushing residents toward window AC units, portable systems, or ductless mini-splits that can be installed without major renovations. Newer subdivisions in Coxsackie and ski-country chalets in Windham are more likely to have central air, but even there, some homeowners opt for high-efficiency mini-splits to handle both heating and cooling in one system.
Ulster County
| Period | Units | % of Total Housing |
|---|---|---|
| Built 2020 or later | 441 | 0.51% |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 3,963 | 4.60% |
| Built 2000 to 2009 | 7,771 | 9.02% |
| Built 1990 to 1999 | 6,651 | 7.72% |
| Built 1980 to 1989 | 10,114 | 11.74% |
| Built 1970 to 1979 | 10,784 | 12.51% |
| Built 1960 to 1969 | 8,479 | 9.84% |
| Built 1950 to 1959 | 11,052 | 12.82% |
| Built 1940 to 1949 | 5,094 | 5.91% |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 21,829 | 25.33% |
Ulster County’s housing stock skews older, with 65.4% of homes built before 1980 and more than a quarter (25.3%) predating 1940. The county also has a substantial mid-century footprint, with 12.8% of homes were built in the 1950s, 9.8% in the 1960s, and 12.5% in the 1970s, reflecting decades of suburban and small-town growth around Kingston, Saugerties, and the Town of Ulster.
New construction is modest, with only 4.6% of homes built since 2010. In historic stone houses, Victorian row homes, and early-20th-century farmhouses, residents tend to rely on window AC units, portable air conditioners, or ductless mini-splits, which are easier to integrate without altering the architecture. Meanwhile, postwar ranches and split-levels in the suburbs are more likely to have full central air systems, though many are older units ripe for energy-efficient upgrades.
