Temperatures in the UK surpassed records in Summer 2022, as a heat wave pushed temperatures up to 40.3 degrees Celsius. Many Brits were left suffering at home due to the fact that less than 5% of homes in the UK have air conditioning. It is a sharp contrast to the U.S. where the figure hovers above a whopping 90%.
Britain’s infrastructure is more geared-up towards heating given the usual cooler temperatures and Winters
that last up to 5 months. However as the climate crisis makes heat waves longer and more frequent, the
need to focus on cooling and heating is becoming evident.
So what are the main reasons British homes are less likely to have AC?
The first reason is that older homes, built before 1900, account for 46% of homes, and the technology simply wasn’t available until the 1960s onwards.
Whilst it is possible to fit older houses with air conditioning units, many are built with brick and have no - or very small, air cavities. This makes it harder and more expensive to install air conditioning.
Also, living in a ‘terraced’ house, where you share all walls with your neighbours, limit the options of where to install the outside portion of the air conditioning units.
Whilst having AC at home is quite rare, office & retail buildings in the UK tend to have been built more recently, and have more money to spend on the installation of AC, meaning around 65% of spaces have air conditioning.
Now, with more people working remotely from home, and less in the office, many will have to seriously consider investing in a longer term cooling solution for their home. A recent study shows that Europe is a heat wave hotspot, with temperature extremes increasing 3-4x faster than regions on similar altitudes.
If you are interested in discussing options for your home, do not hesitate to contact Kent Air Solutions today for a free, no obligation quote.