Will this summer's heat lead to mandatory air conditioning in new homes?

[PistachioTiramisu]

Do you think that the weather we are experiencing this summer will lead to the Government introducing legislation which will make builders install AC as standard in new homes? Or once the summer is over will it all be forgotten again until next time?

Not sure about homes but surely all new school buildings!

I don’t think there will be gov legislation for some time but new builds may just start adding it to be more attractive. Our PTA is raising money for air conditioning for parts of the school. I think it will become more important.

It won’t happen. The energy performance standards for new homes would make it virtually impossible to mitigate through other measures. AC increases energy use, making it harder and more expensive for developers to meet the SAP standards.

No, of course not. i wish it was mandatory in schools, nurseries and hospitals though.

Definitely not. If anything they'll be discouraged because of climate change.

No of course not. UK building codes are ridiculously outdated as it is, and any attempt to modernise them is met with outrage by the big house builders.

Nope

Maybe they will install heat pumps which can do air con and heating. Probably only for people requesting it maybe ( prior to sale ?) as not cheap.
The housing regs do need updating , but I’m sure it is low on the priority list for house builders who want maximum profits.

It’s 27 degrees and sunny here but people have short memories because last summer we had a crap wet miserable summer - this could be a one off

No. I don’t see the need.

Maybe if they make solar powered air conditioning that would work?

No, far too expensive for new houses, but they may put more thought into ensuring all houses have opener windows facing east and west to allow a through draft.

Our parish requires all new houses to have at least one tree in each garden, and the developers are liable to replace them if they die within 10 years. They also require verges and public green spaces to be planted with a minimum number of trees to help reduce temperatures, retain moisture and provide shade.

no, we’re barely meeting existing building regs and we can’t keep up with that.

It's only been hot in certain areas. In the north east it's been at least 10 degrees cooler during the heatwaves. I don't think anything can be made mandatory when it only affects a percentage.

It should lead to mandatory solar panels on the roofs of all new buildings, and for trees to be planted on new housing estates.

The solar panels will generate electricity to run aircon, and the trees will provide shade, lower the ambient temperature and absorb carbon dioxide.

Tree policies sound good.

Private homes? No.

It would be better for there to be other ambient cooling measures that dont eat electricity and further contribute to climate change!

Outdoor shutters that can be opened/closed from the inside is a key one.

"Chimneys" that allow for hot air to funnel up and away is another

You sure about that? Not according to the Met Office!!

https://share.google/A1XDT5AGohyuIsltD

Hi @PistachioTiramisu i'm in one of the boiling new builds - a flat, I totally see that with houses it should be left up to the individual whether they want it or not

I don't see how they can do it without completely tearing up the rulebook

Sadly, I don't think they will do that

It works for me because if they do suddenly build new places with air-conditioning, then mine will be harder to sell.

But I would really like that to be air-conditioning in my next place - which is a problem because I was going to head for a retirement flat but I bet they are all boiling as well - so that's another factor that might put the kibosh on that.

Anyway, normally government are about 20 years or more behind what they need to be doing. My previous new build - built in 2003 I moved in in 2009 - that really needed air-conditioning as well and it wasn't fitted there. That building was built to an excellent standard as well. (though sadly having learned a lot about this, it seems to be a lot to do with who was in charge of the project, whether or not you get a really well-made one, and there's no way to find out unless you're actually live in it because the certificates are pretty meaningless on a practical level, for example the soundproofing standards they have to pass are absolute rubbish).

I can't see it happening. I may be wrong.

Builders have to adhere to so many stupid regulations as well. I think you'd need about 20 boiling summers and a willing government in order to get this done.

it's actually not even difficult to do that's the stupid thing. I know someone who lives in a Redrow building who's got it. Interestingly, that's in London and it was more marketed at foreign investors. Those sorts of buildings have had it fitted since the 90s.

I would benefit from it from May to October.

We don't even mandate solar panels yet. There's a big executive homes development near here and not a single one. You can even get them that look like slates if the usual ones offend the eye. We are surely at least a decade and more beyond when this should have become compulsory and that every new build has at least one suitable roof. And if that means fewer houses to the acre so be it.

Hardly expensive for new homes. A split ac system would be very cheap to install during construction.

Actually, a further thought on the houses

They would need developers to leave the appropriate gaps so that people could fit the systems. One of the problems we've got here is that if we damage the fabric of the building, it negates our 10 year NHBC warranty

We looked into it, all the residents of the flats because it should really have been done as standard. Especially these flats are so hot you don't really have a heating bill to worry about.

Why would they insist builders add to climate change to deal with the results of climate change? That would be absolute madness. Especially as it's literally been one really hot year and we have no idea what next year will be like.

I doubt it would happen due to running costs, environmental impact etc

But what absolutely should become mandatory is passive cooling measures.

For example solar glass as it reduces heat gain (it also reduces heat loss in winter). Or at least heat reflecting film. Brise soleil or awnings or external shutters on windows - like they have in Med countries. High standards of roof and wall insulation (again this helps with heat retention in winter too). Windows that open fully on both sides of a building, to allow for a cross breeze. Bars or concertina grilles on ground floor bedroom windows so you can leave the window open safely (again this is traditional in some Med countries). Light colour on all flat roofs.

Solar panels on all flat roofs wouldn’t be a bad idea, although for elec generation than for cooling (but the panel may help with heat too)

Many houses wouldn’t need ac if they had all this.