Cool Britannia: every new home needs air conditioning to survive the brutal reality of hotter weather
Every home that needs it must have access to cooling systems that guarantee a liveable temperature, writes Gideon Amos MP
"We’re sat in our flat as the heat rises, and there is nothing we can do about it."
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This desperate admission, shared by a worried parent with broadcasters, captures a grim new British reality. As extreme heatwaves become our new normal, desperate mothers are spending their hard-earned holiday savings on hotel rooms just to keep their children safe from the sweltering conditions of their own homes.
Tragically, for many, there is no escape. During recent UK heatwaves, an estimated 2,700 excess deaths were reported, predominantly among the elderly and vulnerable.
For decades, campaigns for better housing have been hard-fought. But today, they need to be turned completely on their head. We have spent generations building homes to keep the cold out; now, we must urgently adapt them to survive the heat.
It is time to make it compulsory for every new home to be fitted with cooling systems - such as air conditioning or reversible heat pumps - that guarantee a safe, liveable temperature of 20°C, even on the hottest days. We need a new ‘Cool Rule’ for British housing.
After practising as an architect, I railed against Margaret Thatcher’s sweeping removal of minimum space standards. Following those changes, UK homes became some of the smallest, and often stuffiest, in Europe.
Naturally, I have joined many campaigns calling for better-insulated homes that are cheaper for residents to heat and run. But the brutal reality of hotter weather means our obsession with airtightness and heat retention is no longer enough. Worse, building regulations that strictly limit air conditioning to "exceptional circumstances" could be putting lives at risk.
The cost of inaction isn't just measured in public health; it is a massive economic drain. ITV recently reported that in June alone, the UK lost 24 million hours of work to the heat - the equivalent of 3 million full working days. The Londoner who told reporters there was "no escape" from the heat in his flat represents millions of workers who are too exhausted to function.
But we cannot leave existing homes to bake. We must urgently transform the government's Warm Homes Grant into a comprehensive Better Homes Grant. This would fund the installation of cooling systems, alongside insulation and heating, for those who need it most.
Until now, policymakers have baulked at the extra energy costs and emissions associated with air conditioning. There is a persistent fear of "hot air" pumping into the streets and worsening climate change. However, thanks to the groundwork laid by Ed Davey as Energy Secretary, the UK grew into the biggest offshore wind generator on the planet. On top of this, thanks to a recently successful Bill championed by my Liberal Democrat colleague Max Wilkinson MP, every new home will feature solar panels as standard from next April.
It is time we use this clean energy abundance to keep our citizens cool. We don't have to abandon our green goals. Insulation keeps homes cool as well as warm. Heat pumps can be reversed to provide cooling. Mechanical ventilation, favoured in homes built to the highest environmental standards, can effectively function as air conditioning.
Furthermore, the fear that AC units will drastically worsen the urban heat island effect is overstated. According to Prof. Geoffrey Levermore at the University of Manchester, of the 12°C of heat that our urban fabric adds to built-up areas, air conditioning only contributes 0.9°C.
Unfortunately, some leaders are moving in the wrong direction. London’s Labour Mayor recently relaxed rules requiring cross-ventilation (flats with windows on two sides). This is a severe misstep. We should be maximising architectural layouts that passively keep buildings cool, not abandoning them.
But architectural layouts alone will no longer be enough.
It is time for a new Cool Rule. Every home that needs it must have access to cooling systems that guarantee a liveable temperature. In this escalating heat, surely 20°C is plenty for our babies, our grandparents, and our workers alike.
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Gideon Amos MP is the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Housing and Planning.
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