UK Experts Urge Caution as Demand for Air Conditioning Soars Amid Heatwaves

Air conditioning, once a luxury in Britain, is becoming a necessity for a growing number of households grappling with increasingly hot summers. Zainab Hussain, a 35-year-old Londoner, now finds it hard to imagine surviving without AC, reflecting a shift in perception and adoption.

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It's seen as a quick fix and it's not actually, because it can cause a lot of damage.

However, this trend has drawn criticism from sustainability experts like Rajat Gupta, professor of sustainable architecture and climate change at Oxford Brookes University. Gupta argues that AC should not be the "default answer," as it increases electricity demand, energy bills, and carbon emissions. He also points out that AC units exacerbate the urban heat island effect by releasing hot air onto city streets, potentially causing more harm than good.

Despite these warnings, the demand for cooling solutions is surging. The Hussain family, after enduring another sweltering heatwave, decided to install AC upstairs in their home. "We realized that our summers were just getting more and more unbearable," Hussain explained, highlighting the perceived need for the appliance.

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We realized that our summers were just getting more and more unbearable, so it was something that we definitely needed to have for the downstairs area.

Official figures indicate that only about 5 percent of British homes currently have AC, while a 2025 report by the Centre for British Progress think tank noted that half of homes overheat during summer. The report urged greater AC adoption, citing risks from heat-related deaths and lost productivity. This call gains urgency as UK temperature records continue to break, with scientists attributing the increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves to human-induced climate change.

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But after last week's heatwave, we realized that actually upstairs was really unbearable as well.

Installers like Joe Springett are experiencing a boom in domestic business, with phones ringing constantly as the hot weather arrives. Springett, who has worked in the industry for nearly two decades, notes a significant shift from commercial to residential installations. Retailers are reporting sold-out portable units, and home improvement stores have seen a doubling in searches for such items compared to the previous year, indicating a widespread response to the rising temperatures.

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I'm getting busier and busier domestically, where people want it in their houses.