Page 5 | To Ban Air-con

CurdinHenry · 26/05/2026 13:23

On a rapidly heating planet, available Aircon should be mandatory. Drives me insane that climate change puritans would rather people boil to death.

Livpool · 26/05/2026 13:23

I’d ban private jets and AI first!

canuckup · 26/05/2026 13:22

It regularly hits minus 20 in the winte where I live... If we didn't have heating, we'd be burning forests all day to keep warm

canuckup · 26/05/2026 13:21

Ridiculous idea

Like banning heating

crazeekat · 26/05/2026 13:19

Try living in phoenix Arizona.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 26/05/2026 13:18

We should ban you!

mumofoneAloneandwell · 26/05/2026 13:18

SORRY?

Angry Aubrey Plaza GIF by Parks and Recreation

Jimmyneutronsforehead · 26/05/2026 13:18

Meadowfinch · 26/05/2026 11:46

If no aircon, we need to build homes more carefully. They need east & west facing windows to ensure ventilation & a through draught. Shutters are important too to give shade.
Our house has a sitting room on the north end of the house and shaded by a large tree. East & west facing windows that all open wide to let air through. It is always cool in there. No need for aircon.

We have east and west facing windows and it's a nightmare! The morning sun comes in heats the house up, you get a bit of a break in the middle of the day if you sit downstairs because the upstairs is baking, and then on an evening you get double boiled as the sun starts to set and then even with the windows open all night the amount of heat energy within the house means it is too slow to cool. Nobody sleeps well.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 26/05/2026 13:17

BAN AC???????!?

Whosthetabbynow · 26/05/2026 13:17

MangoMilkWhip · 26/05/2026 11:28

And here we all are with our paper straws whilst private jets fly overhead and wars are being started and big countries polluting.

Yeh and me putting bottles in those awful recycling bins that make houses look like shit holes whilst China pump out ozone-busting pollution.

Jc2001 · 26/05/2026 13:15

chaosmaker · 26/05/2026 11:12

On a rapidly heating planet, shouldn't we be looking for ways to build/fit housing for all sorts of extreme weather?
Air-con just makes it hotter for everyone overall as it adds heat into the environment and makes it worse overall.

If you're going to do that then we should ban heating as well.

gindrop · 26/05/2026 13:15

Iocanepowder · 26/05/2026 13:13

yeah but maybe the poster was referring to the shorter amount of time between such swings.

I’m pretty sure it was within the last 2 weeks that my heating came on overnight because the temperature dropped so low. And now we need the air con on.

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In terms of adapting houses to the climate I'm not sure the frequency of the temperature swings matter though?

Empress13 · 26/05/2026 13:13

good luck when you’re in hospital with heat stroke ! Mine will be going 24/7 if needs be

Iocanepowder · 26/05/2026 13:13

gindrop · 26/05/2026 13:10

The UK climate is temperate and most of the world's population has bigger temperature swings - look at most of the US, Canada, Central Europe, Russia, etc etc. Hotter in summer and colder in winter than the UK.

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yeah but maybe the poster was referring to the shorter amount of time between such swings.

I’m pretty sure it was within the last 2 weeks that my heating came on overnight because the temperature dropped so low. And now we need the air con on.

AsItRains · 26/05/2026 13:12

Even adjusting for population, Europe’s average annual heat-related mortality rate (some 175’000 people a year) exceeds the US gun death rate (including suicide). So more air conditioning would seem a better option.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1152766

Heat claims more than 175,000 lives annually in Europe, latest data shows

A staggering 175,000 people die from heat-related causes every year in Europe and that figure is set to soar in line with our steadily warming planet. That’s the warning from the UN World Health Organization (WHO), which said on Friday that European co...

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1152766

Maddy70 · 26/05/2026 13:12

I understand your point but Aircon is a necessity in many countries and it's only going to get worse. We just need to find a more eco friendly way of producing energy

FeralWoman · 26/05/2026 13:12

YABU. Like another poster, come and prise it from my cold dead hands. Summer is fucking unbearable in humid Australia. Air con restores my sanity in the heat. In winter we don’t need any heating so I guess it balances out.

gindrop · 26/05/2026 13:10

TwinklySquid · 26/05/2026 12:30

The problem we have in the UK is we get very cold weather then very hot. In hot countries or cold countries, they can adapt the houses as the temp is fairly consistent.
We’d need to build houses that could keep heat in during the winter but let it out in the summer. I don’t know if such a design exists and whether it would be cost effective.

The UK climate is temperate and most of the world's population has bigger temperature swings - look at most of the US, Canada, Central Europe, Russia, etc etc. Hotter in summer and colder in winter than the UK.

Auburngal · 26/05/2026 13:10

I love air con.

However, supermarkets need to make their stores to regulate temperature better. Hence why in hot weather, many supermarkets (including my former employer) had to keep emptying chillers and freezers as over heating. It’s a pain when this happened as sick of explaining to customers we can’t access everything. Made milk and salad bits accessible

Those supermarkets with doors to their chillers and freezers - this has reduced the overheating

Supermarkets in many countries have larger compressors than UK ones

FalseSpring · 26/05/2026 13:09

YABU. My AC runs on solar so not using any of the planet's resources.

Locutus2000 · 26/05/2026 13:08

Another perspective here OP.

Basically it's too late for most of our housing stock.

UK needs to urgently install air conditioning in schools and care homes, climate campaigners say

Government should fit solar panels to power air con units where vulnerable people live, say green advocates

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/25/uk-urgently-install-air-conditioning-in-schools-care-homes-climate-campaigners-say

Dolphinnoises · 26/05/2026 13:06

Surely air con powered by solar is a win-win? Am I missing something?

VickyEadie · 26/05/2026 13:05

Iocanepowder · 26/05/2026 12:46

Great, build lots of new housing for warm weather then.

And all the houses that already exist?

Indeed!

Linenspots · 26/05/2026 13:05

Until buildings and dwellings in the UK are built or modified to withstand the extreme heat we are now seeing (still sporadic, but definitely more frequent), the air con units we had installed in the new year for the kitchen/lounge and our bedroom are staying put and staying on.

I often wondered why I never seem to suffer with the heat as much on hot holidays as I do here. Now I've figured out the answer - having a cool night's sleep and a cool start to the day seems to heatproof me for many hours to follow. I was out in the 33-degree heat for over 3 hours yesterday, and at no point did I feel more than a little uncomfortable. As soon as I was back home into the chilly air, I cooled right down again instantly.

I know it's not great from an environmental view, but honestly, for the few days a year we're probably going to have this on, and for the sanity it's going to give me back during my menopausal years, I'm afraid it's staying. Also worth noting that our heating bill was substantially less this winter as we used the units to heat the rooms as and when needed rather than having the central heating cranked up!

VickyEadie · 26/05/2026 13:04

Aleiha · 26/05/2026 11:28

No they don't. Most homes in the med have shutters and lots of shading.

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I lived in Greece for several years up to 2011. Very few homes do not have air con because it's absolutely unbearable in the summer without it. No amount of "shutters and shading" can counteract the extreme temperatures they endure all day for months.