New build flat is boiling hot. Feeling depressed

[FTBregret]

Just bought my first home, a small flat in London. Only just got keys last week and I hate it due to how disgustingly hot it is. Really regret it and feel so stupid for not knowing new build flats get this hot

So far I’ve removed all carpets (will only have laminate floors) all windows left shut during the day and kept all curtains closed to block out sunlight. Also tried fan with icy water in front and barely helped.

It’s still unbearably hot, thermostat currently showing 30°

I’m scared the worse is yet to come as I know it gets hotter in London and if we have a heatwave I will have to get an Airbnb or something.

I haven’t even got furniture yet so that will likely make it hotter too when I properly move in. How will I ever use the oven?

I’ve been looking at air con but as I’m leasehold with Clarion it’s very unlikely the split AC will get accepted. There is another type of water air con but looking at quotes it’s 5k which I can’t afford.

I’ve looked at portable AC but I only have hinge windows and hinge balcony doors (apparently it’s supposed to be for sliding doors??)

How are londoners in new build flats coping?

You have my commiserations op. Three weeks after my DD was born we had to move out of our flat (pipe connections failed in entire building) while works took place. We were placed in a new build tower block for a month. There were thermostats in every room but no aircon. It was a heatwave summer and 30+ in the flat.

We had to go and stay at the in-laws for a few nights because it was dangerously hot for the baby. I can’t imagine how people could live there permanently.

If it’s cold outside then open the windows but if it’s a hot day outside you were correct the first time about keeping the windows closed and curtains drawn until a cooler time of day. Ignore people saying otherwise.

Is your downstairs / next door neighbour running a cannabis farm?

That happened in a flat block I lived in, it was wild.

(But there would be other signs too to be fair)

My husband made us special hard plastic covers for the windows with an opening to connect the vent to portable air conditioning units for our house. We velcro the plastic window bits on when we use the units in the heat waves. It can be done.

Use a few fans strategically to pull cooler air in and move it around the flat, creating airflow. Was a game changer in my very hot first flat!

We are in a 20 year old flat which is about 25/26 in the day currently - I always leave windows open all day I don’t think the ‘window shut curtains drawn’ approach works for flats. We have an air con which goes out the window and we bought a sort of plastic cover to hold it in place in the window gap - of course only works if you’re not on the ground floor for security reasons but a lot of neighbours have these too - it can get the temp in our bedroom down from 28-20 in about an hour so worth it! We turn our heating off from March - November usually so there is an upside!

I agree with the other replies regarding the laminate - our leasehold documents had it in that no hard floors should be put in for noise reasons. Our upstairs neighbours have obviously ignored this and I am very aware of it - I’m not into confrontation but others might be. So worth checking your details!

This

A good AC with the tube going outside is amazing. With hinged windows you could look into ways around this but the tubes are flexible. Is there a way to open the windows further?

I couldn't live in a hot flat now, I did, fans do help a bit.

Just imagine the savings during winter though! Xxx

New builds are designed to retain heat and prevent heat loss, so continuing to absorb heat through the day whilst letting very little out is why it can get hotter than the outside temperature.

We live in a new build house which can also get rather hot although not nearly as warm as you're describing thankfully. I use the cheap blackout fabric you can get on Amazon, silver on one side black on the other- it blocks the heat and light so not great when you're in, but you could stick it on before work then when you get in hopefully it won't be quite as warm int he flat. It doesn't look pretty as it needs cutting to size and sticking on with velcro tape which will look crap on your window frames, but needs must!

We rent and have same issue with hinge windows and portable air con. We got a bit of Perspex made with a circular hole drilled, into that fits a standard vent that you can glue/screw in, and the air con pipe slots into the vent. The Perspex you can then Velcro onto the window frame so it can be taken down when it gets colder again. We tend to leave the pipe in place in the vent but also have a cap to put over the vent hole if we take it down, to stop creepy crawlies coming in.

photo attached hopefully that gives a better idea of what I mean! (Ignore the blurs just trying to get rid of any identifying reflections)

Meaco air circulator is also a very good value fan that makes a huge difference at night

In addition to all the good advice about AC, and checking that your heating is actually off, a short-term temporary solution is to keep a couple of damp tea towels in your freezer and, once they have frozen, getting them out to wrap around your neck. Surprisingly excellent in a London midsummer heatwave.

Is your heating fully off? You said it was on a non-freeze setting, which I would assume keeps it slightly warm, to prevent pipes freezing. I’d switch it off completely.

If it’s bothering you this much get an air conditioning unit for the summer.

Yes your bills will go up, but you won’t need the heating on in winter so it will all even out.

You can’t be sat in 30 degree heat all day that’s just no fun and we aren’t used to it over here. You deserve to be relaxed and at a good temperature.

Lidls do a reasonably priced portable AC unit which might be in their stores this week. DD, also in a hot flat, swears by hers. It comes with a window kit, it’s essentially a self adhesive seal so you can open the window without letting warm air in, and through which you poke the ventilation outlet. it’s not pretty but it really lowers the temperature.

As a budget alternative, sitting in front of a pedestal fan with a quick spritz of water on your face will work wonders.

Friends in flats like this use portable air con where you put the tube out the window.

also when not using air con, open all windows, try create a through breeze through the flat.

internal solar gain film on windows may help?

also I think keeping windows shut in day is only worth doing when it’s hotter outside than it is inside. It’s not been 30 degrees in London, so definitely worth opening the windows

literally experiencing the same thing!! Coming to 2 years and a half in my flat and i am done. Its unbearable. No amount if AC or fans can fix it. Look to sell or move out, its not worth it

You are right to do that. You open them when it cools down in the evening. As you have a balcony, could you get a small awning over the window like they do in Spain and Italy?

That's when the flat is already cool. Stick your hand out, and if the breeze feels cooler then go for it. I didn't really know much about leaseholds but I'm really shocked that people are saying you can't have laminate floors. Surely people have wooden floorboards all the time?! And not being allowed air con? What the hell? They will need to change the legislation on that, people need to feel cool in their own home. Keeping the windows open all night should help? It's probably been heating up while it was empty. Hopefully it's not always like this.

Everyone knows new builds in UK are not able to cope with hot climates.

edit: wrong quote. This was re keeping windows shut in heat if the day.

That’s so that you keep the cooler night time air in rather than let in the hotter air during the day. So if the air outside is warmer than the current temperature in your flat you keep the windows shut but at this time of year the air outside is still probably cooler. Keeping sun out should work.

Could you get a film for the window to reflect heat?

Honestly having been in plaster during heatwave few years ago, shutting curtains & windows do help. Have you closed door too?
when it gets dark open everything up, it works! Congrats on buying. Ax

DF solved this issue with a portable unit. As others have said, you should be able to customise something to make it work for your window. What about a perspex (see through) sheet cut to the size of your window with a snug hole cut in i.e to feed the unit's pipe through the open window to outside.

It will all come good on colder days.

Amazing have small air con units that you fill with water and plug in. It blows water vapour and cools the room down, can also be used as a fan. They're great and about 20/30 quid

The Delonghi portable air con units are good for about 500quid. Cools the room quickly and vents out via a tube.
we got one a while ago due to really hot rooms and it was worth the investment to be able to sleep at night in the heat.

FWIW you can rent air con for a weekend or so if you search for a local hire company (ones which hire tools etc do them) so you could see how you do with the noise/ if it makes a difference before you invest. It’s only going to get hotter so might aswell. Good luck @FTBregret