Beating the Heat: Why Can't New Builds Have Air Con?

Air con units can heat but they aren't very good at it. Hot air rises. Blowing hot air near ceiling height won't keep you warm in our winters. They're ok in countries that don't have much of a Winter.

AC is just not necessary for 2 weeks a year, as pp have already noted ceiling fans and shutters would make a huge difference, as would Brits being taught how to deal with a heat wave, maybe some of those infomercials we had in the 80s but instead of not playing in the fridge it was a helpful reminder that throwing your windows open when its 30deg outside just lets 30deg air inside even if it does feel cool as it blows in.

The only new build I’ve ever bought was in an eco friendly development and had air con as it was more eco friendly than central heating (as it used green generated energy rather than burning fossil fuels). It was absolutely useless at heating though, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a heating replacement.

Although that said we’ve just retro-fitted air conditioning into our not-new build for £6k, and the both the heating and cooling on that are cracking. We’ve got solar panels too so it’s practically free to use for cooling on sunny days.

I think more importantly new builds should HAVE to have solar panels and ground source heat pumps.
But as a PP has said (and I'm paraphrasing here) the rotten, sneaky, thieving, toady money-grabbing bastard builders are more interested in their own profits than sustainability, IMO.
Although, to be fair, some of them are quite good.

I'm in a new build with low ceilings and we have ceiling fans. Although we're all tiny (DH at the tallest is 5'6) so that's probably why it's not a problem. 😂

DH fitted one in our living room and one in our bedroom a few years ago. Absolute game changer!

Why ? It's 23 degrees, a nice summers day but hardly hot. It's maybe 2 weeks a year tops that air con would be used and we manage just fine with a fan

Air con increases climate change I understand. We need to build better style houses, not increase energy use.

Our house is a new build and stiflingly hot whenever outdoor temps reach about 25+ especially in the front because the front of the house has the full sun on it from about 11am until the sun goes down. We moved in 10 years ago and after 8 summers we finally installed air con in the bedrooms last year! It’s some of the best money we’ve ever spent. Cost about £3k and don’t believe the naysayers, it really doesn’t cost very much to run at all, it’s very efficient. I thoroughly recommend it and my next door neighbours are getting it installed soon too!

Because then cooling would become a significant part of our energy use and we are trying to reduce the amount of energy we use not increase it.

It is possible to run heat pumps in a cooling mode, but I don't believe they are allowed as part of the government grants because of energy efficiency.

British summers aren't really very hot. It's not really necessary to have air con.

It isn't a problem in the summer, that is just a basic science misconception. A well insulated house will prevent heat entering in the summer just as well as heat leaving in the winter

I have 8ft ceilings in my new build!

Not too hot in here, loads of ventilation and efficient building means we are kept ok in the heat and toasty in the winter!

@Caspianberg I was talking about the UK where blocks of flats aren’t equipped with these things and as a leaseholder you wouldn’t get permission to retrofit them. The flats in the pictures you’ve posted look bloody brilliant. And council flats too, astounding.

@voiceofastar

There’s new council flats being built locally to me. They look very similar to this picture. Using wooden slats to shade certain parts, awnings and they have roller blackout shutters. They are new, not old conversion but being built to be economical

We live in a house built 2005. Normal height ceilings. It has ceiling fans when we moved in. I have no idea how we lived without them. Fugly as they are

why can’t new builds have a system i. which grey water can be used to flush the toilet, guttering run off into water butts, south and west facing large windows anti glare, why do they so often build downstairs cloakrooms, with toilet, right next to
the front door !?! as soon as you walk in the house the first thing you see
is the bog ?!?

Aircon in homes would be pretty disastrous for sustainability, and it is warm for what, two weeks a year? We're not Spain. Who don't necessarily need aircon in homes either as they build traditionally with thick walls keeping the sun out.

If the UK had been building Passivhaus homes like parts of Northern Europe and Canada have been for decades…our homes wouldn't overheat or experience draughts, condensation, mould, cold spots, etc.

Scotland is about to introduce Passivhaus building regulations later this year for this exact reason. It’s long, long, long overdue.

You don’t need an aircon or any other bolt on technologies (solar panels) in a Passivhaus. The home is so well insulated and constructed, it stays at a constant, comfortable temperature all year round.

@voiceofastar - why? All flats have the same shutters here also. Wooden on older buildings or roller shutters. Even flats.
That way you just close them up when you go out or to work, and come home to cool flat. Upper floor flats almost all built with balconies so everyone can have awnings also. Flats are very common here

Had the same. It wasn’t great, made worse by the cat habitually sitting on the vents.

This would be better!

Air con is only going to contribute to local overheating. Outer blinds as are common in continental Europe would make loads more sense first of all.

That’s great if it’s a house and you have a garden but not much use in a flat, which is all many people of my generation can afford.

We had that in the 1970's over here. Not the cooling element though. Would need to be airtight.

I wouldn’t want it and don’t see the need. We live southern Europe. It’s hot here in summer. I much prefer using the house for cooling. We have awnings that pull out to provide shade outside and stop sun coming in, wooden shutters upstairs we keep closed on bedrooms in summer, and auto slinging shutters downstairs we can lower 1/4-1/2 only to add extra cooling and shade when needed.

It’s 34 outside today, inside rooms hover around 22-26 degrees daytime depending on location to sun. Cooler at night.

Air con just drys the air and make any throat dry. I turn it off in hotels.

outside we have pergolas with vines growing over for shade, lots of trees, and the awnings. Extra sun umbrellas when needed