To think buildings in the UK need to be adapted to this heat?

[Glaceonn]

I know I’m not alone in this, I wonder how it is in high rise flats? My flat is 40 degrees plus in some rooms. What is the answer though because air conditioning as standard would make environmental issues even worse.

There’s no air conditioning in hospitals, care homes, on the tube, buses as far as I know.

Some people simply can’t cope in this heat, I know I’m speaking from a biased viewpoint but I’m not the only one. I can’t remember the last time I wore a jacket in the day, so it’s not just ‘a few days of heat’ where I am.

It’s making me have panic attacks, there is barely any air. If it was extremely cold but we had no heating, we’d be able to expect our landlord to make the place warmer for us.

I’ve had one hour of sleep and can’t articulate my thoughts very well!

If we built the way the victorians and the slightly later Edwardians this would be less of a problem.
Although these houses tend to be a bit draughty/expensive to heat. My 1930s house is cool downstairs - in fact in the north facing sitting room - it is just the right temperature. High ceilings and well built walls (as others have said thick walls between rooms helps) keeps the air cirulating. That said - the price is paid in winter but that can be easily oversome by sensible clothing,
My best house for cool was a 17century black and white listed cottage on the top of a hill with space all around it (no roads/houses to trap heat in) and plenty of air movement. Terrible in the winter of course.

@SirenSays

My forecast says there's 6 days of rain coming and it will be well below 30c for at least 8 days. So no, I'd much rather they focus on adequately heating houses. I'm sick to death of boilers and radiators that cost a fortune and don't properly heat houses. My Canadian friends are horrified at how we heat our houses here.

My forecast has occasional day of rain and around 25 from the weekend for week and half or so.

The thing is that making houses bearing heat better will also mean they will stay warm in a winter

@ODFOx

It isn't just the heat that we need to consider. Living in a sealed environment isn't healthy overall but specifically now the movement of air and air quality indoors to limit the spread of respiratory infections is more clear than ever. Years ago De Montfort university built an engineering faculty where the building design itself passively drew in fresh air at the bottom, it moved up through the building and exited at the top. It was all over the architectural press at the time. It really is time for us to find new ways of construction for healthier more comfortable homes, with less emphasis on style over substance. I do wonder how the poor sods with bifold glass doors cope on wet summer evenings: most of a can open a window to let the cooler sit in, but they must get all the wet splash back in their house if they have to open a whole door!

Oh believe me - that building is NOT as awesome in the heat as you'd think it would be. The nice funnel effect as you enter the building making your way through the crowds of smokers is also pleasant.

Source: far too many hot, clammy lectures stuck in there.

We brought an air con unit for our loft conversion bedroom in 2019 when the heat got to 38c in London for a couple of days. It’s just a portable one and not perfect big it helps. If these temperatures become routine I certainly think that London and the south east will need air conditioning in homes and businesses more routinely.

If we built the way the victorians and the slightly later Edwardians this would be less of a problem.

It is currently 30 degrees in my Victorian house - it really wasn’t built for this heat.

My Canadian friends are horrified at how we heat our houses here.

How do they heat their houses?

Do you only have windows on one side of your flat? If so, it's hard to get a breeze/air flow across it.

These are a few things that I do when it's hot, they help:

• close the windows on the sunny side of house (and the shady side when it is hotter outside than inside)

• I have thermal blackout in the bedrooms on the sunny side, and an IKEA cellular blind behind that next to the glass. I have the cellular blind down and push it against the window to help stop the heat getting in

This is the blind: www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/trippevals-block-out-cellular-blind-light-grey-50336892/
It's not great for its original purpose as a blackout blind, it's great for keeping out the heat

• I have the blinds/curtains downstairs on the sunny side shut all day, with all the windows on that side shut too

• have you tried the reflective window film? It's cheap on ebay and it meant to help

• put plastic bottles full of water in the freezer, then put them in front of a fan (don't overfill the bottles, they expand)

• at night I have the bathroom window open and make sure the door is open so it cools down the landing, this helps keep the bedrooms cooler in the day

• even when the weather isn't hot, I try and keep the bedrooms cooler and the landing cooler as it means the house is a couple of degrees cooler before it heats up

Can I ask people with the film on the windows. Does it affect houseplants? 🤔 Is the reflection harming things outside? Iyswim. Like reflection from some buildings mepts roads type of thing?

I am not attacking btw. I considered them couple of years ago so curious what people foumd

Glaceonn--Thank you!!

@SirenSays so how do they heat houses in Canada?

Most Canadians I know have central/forced air, so air con and heating all in one. Usually through vents in the floor or sometimes the ceilings.

Ah, so pretty hard to fit in old buildings.

No idea, not my area of expertise. It can't all be down to the age of buildings, they install radiators in new build properties.

Forced air heating, yes. I don't know many who have central air con, though, and the recent heat waves were extremely difficult for many people I know.

Most Canadians I know have central/forced air, so air con and heating all in one. Usually through vents in the floor or sometimes the ceilings.

I lived in a house that had forced air heating. It was so bad that virtually everybody on the estate had ripped it out and replaced it with a conventional boiler and radiators within ten years.

How strange, was it badly done or something? Vastly different from my experience, I absolutely loved it and my friend calls it the best invention ever, especially when they stay in England and are forced to deal with radiators.

@SirenSays

Most Canadians I know have central/forced air, so air con and heating all in one. Usually through vents in the floor or sometimes the ceilings.

A friend of mine, who was an civil engineer, put a forced air heating system into the Victorian house he use to live in, in around the late 70s. He said he had so many problems with it he wished it had gone for normal radiators.

I remember visiting in winter and they use to have to use electric heaters as well.

The house didn't have air con.

That reminds me the Canada system is dated.

Somewhere I lodged about 5 years ago had radiators which were never on as the place was warm in winter, and due to the direction of the windows was OK temperature on hot days in summer.

It was on an new estate where all the properties were heated by heat pumps.

I also worked with someone about 3 years ago who was building a house and they were putting in a heat pump for their heating.

I just opened all my windows and closed curtains in any room with direct sun.

Oddly enough the Amber weather warning is in the S West. I've lived in Cornwall for nearly 30 years in an 18thC house with thick walls, temp is 25 to 28 indoors. I can't remember it being quite so hot indoors.

Run your wrists through cold water, put your feet in cool water or on a towel with an ice block under it, or a bottle of frozen water. The wet towels work on windows. Freeze towelling for wrists and ankle bands - used these on the tube. Anyone whose travelled on the tube in hot weather will sympathise with you.

Really interesting to read about the Canadian heating system, I’ve never heard of forced air!

@Hankunamatata I really wished that worked or helped at all, well it probably would be even worse if we didn’t do that. I’m pleased if it works for you because these temperatures indoors are unbearable.

@bellabasset

Oddly enough the Amber weather warning is in the S West. I've lived in Cornwall for nearly 30 years in an 18thC house with thick walls, temp is 25 to 28 indoors. I can't remember it being quite so hot indoors.

Run your wrists through cold water, put your feet in cool water or on a towel with an ice block under it, or a bottle of frozen water. The wet towels work on windows. Freeze towelling for wrists and ankle bands - used these on the tube. Anyone whose travelled on the tube in hot weather will sympathise with you.

Thank you for the tips, I appreciate that

That is very hot for you, hope you’re managing ok, it’s just hard if there’s nowhere to escape to isn’t it? Oh the tube must be unspeakable right now, although reading some of the comments it seems like some lines do have air con.

Really struggling today again, it’s actually making me feel ill.

YANBU. I am a nurse and worked a 12.5hr shift yesterday in full PPE, I felt like I was going to pass out. I can’t imagine how awful my patient who was already unwell and dehydrated must have felt! Horrendous.

This is awful @Dannn I’m so sorry 😟 Seriously don’t know how you do it. It can’t be healthy, both for HCPs and patients to be overwhelmed by boiling hot conditions, there needs to be an option to cool down somehow.