The arguments saying we should shut up and be grateful to not have the heating on are too simplified. It’s not as black and white as that. I always find it interesting when people have total “all or nothing” ways of thinking.
I’m worried sick about being able to afford the heating bills in Winter, why would anyone assumed that heat haters don’t have to worry about that? That’s so weird to me. The thing is though, if we need it and are feeling literally ill from being too cold we CAN get relief from it because we allow ourselves one hour of heating per day in Winter which is what we can afford - probably less now. This will hear the whole flat and due to insulation, retain that heat pretty effectively. But…we also have loads of jumpers, blankets, quilts and hot water bottles so we can do a lot to make ourselves warm.
In hot weather, in certain properties, there really is nothing you can do to feel colder. Windows open makes zero difference, can’t afford AC, and there’s not much you can do clothes wise beyond being totally naked. Not appropriate for a lot of families trying to get on with day to day life. There’s no relief, no escape, no garden for so many of us, no decent local parks, and even then, what can we do, just sit on a park bench? Lovely for a while when it’s cooled down slightly but all day and night?
Add in health conditions, some of which make it IMPOSSIBLE for the human body to regulate it’s temperature.
Add in commuting on public transport, where there’s no AC and buses and trains are packed full of other people and their collective heat. Again, even going to work doesn’t provide an escape from home.
Add in everything mentioned in that article, like the cold hard facts that people DIE every Summer due to the effects of excess heat in their homes, and the people who are most likely to die are ethnic minorities, poor people and disabled people.
After taking all this into consideration, do people really think we’re whining from a place of privilege? Or just being miserable for the sake of it and enjoying moaning? If so, I accept that’s your opinion and would love to hear why you think that, if you’re happy to share.