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?

Hi OP

I live in a London flat that holds the heat really well. It’s brilliant except for a few weeks when it’s very hot in summer

Leave the windows and balcony door open all night and you’ll wake up with it cooler.

Also get a really good fan. I’ve got a Dyson one I got second hand / refurbed so it wasn’t a ridiculous price. It was expensive but it’s SO worth it and really helps.

Don’t despair, it’s manageable.

very confused by people saying you can't have laminate in a flat? of course you can - every single flat I've lived in, including my current, has had either hardwood or laminate in every room!

We had this issue in a flat and it was a defect in the building as the pipes were not properly insulated so heat was escaping. It was unbearably hot, particularly in stairwells and corridors where there were no windows. The residents fought for a claim on NHBC and they eventually remedied the situation but it was major upheaval. Are there any issues with the building/communal areas generally?

Some flats will have a clause in the Lease stating no hard floors.

Open your windows!

At the very least buy proper portable air conditioners, but check into permanent. Apply tinted vinyl window covers and proper block-out curtains or blinds.

No you were right before.
the basic rule is windows shut when it’s hotter outside than inside as you’re just letting hot air in. Windows open when it’s cooler outside than inside to let cool air in
Broadly that ends up being windows shut in the day and open at night.
Thick curtains should be drawn shut in the day too to keep sunlight out.
Most people in the U.K. don’t understand the windows thing.
if that doesn’t work air con. :)

@FTBregret - I have been there. The only thing that helped me was a Dyson fan. As couldn’t get air con.

Yes!

It’s been very humid in London today,so even tho the temp wasn’t that high in the forecast it has felt boiling.

We have a really good fan by Meaco which we’ve had on for the last few nights (our bedroom in the loft conversion)

Does your flat have an air circulation system? Ours has a winter and a summer setting. In the winter it takes air from hotter parts of the house, like the kitchen, and pumps it into bedrooms where it may be colder. Leaving the winter setting on in the summer really makes the house warmer (it usually takes as a while to remember to change it!). May be worth checking.

You're not stupid! We are in mainland Europe. When it's hot outside, everyone shuts their windows and curtains in the daytime. Once the temperature drops everything is fully opened.

Can you open your windows fully when it's cool? There'll be a clip to press in the frame.

It’s infuriating that so many are in this situation, I’m sorry! The posters saying you’re lucky in winter, no one wants to live in an oven most of the year.

Ours is disgustingly hot too, and we ended up buying a big portable aircon unit (worth its weight in gold), alongside the many small fans dotted around our apartment which are constantly on. You can make it work, as per the previous poster. Every year I pray for a cool Summer.

I would have traded my soul for some aircon when it reached over 40C in here, as it did so often in the summer. I recently wrote to my MP about this (drafted using AI), as it’s a health and safety concern that our government needs to address, and it’s a danger to my family & pets. I read an article recently about the gov needing to remedy this issue which is more commonplace in apartments due to rising temperatures.

I’ve heard of some apartments in London reaching over 50!

We never use our oven when it’s warm out, and avoid using big appliances (dishwasher, washing machine) during the hotter hours. Keeping lights off helps imo. Black out curtains tend to help a bit too. If you have windows on either side of your apartment try to get a current going by keeping them open, equally keeping windows shut helps.

You can get portable aircon that just sits on the floor, similar to a dehumidifier

We live in a sweat box flat not too far from you. Last summer I thought I was going to die.

A portable air con unit is the ideal. It’s just a box; you don’t need to put pipes through windows etc, but there are some free and cheaper things you can do. A cooling blanket might help. Silent Night do one for under £50, it has really good reviews and can reduce your body temperature by a couple of degrees. You can get cooling mats for pets that also work well for people. I got some from Amazon that go in your pillow case. Fill up hot water bottles with cold water and put them in the fridge. Put wet flannels and damp towels in the freezer and lay on them. Buy lots of ice poles. Soak your feet in a bowl of cold water while you’ve got a cold, wet flannel on the back of your neck and something cold on the pulse points on your wrist. What work do you do? Might be worth putting in some extra hours for a while if they have air con. If not, and you can wfh, would it be possible to work at night and sleep during the day? Drink plenty of water. Do not turn your cooker on. Salads, sandwiches, microwaves and air fryers are the way to go. Lots of loose cotton fabrics. Lots of tepid baths.

Next year, you’ll have this years heating bill to comfort yourself with.

Seek professional advice from a company that really knows how to cool and heat spaces. Put your money where it is best spent.
Have you complained to the building developer?
There could be an obvious reason that you are not seing.

Open windows and shut curtains

Turn off the antifreeze setting on your heating.
just turn it all off or set the thermostat to something really low- single figures.

curtains closed during the day but open the windows at night- you need that air flow.

tower fans are pretty good for cooling if a/c is out of budget

Our new build house was soo insulated and hot.
We bought a standalome air con unit, it plugs in then the hose can go out the window. You can get a window thing to cover the gap and just put the hose through. The unit was about £400 but it wheels from room to room, cools the room in 10 minutes and its lasted us over ten years so far.
Couldn't do a summer without it now.
Just google standalone aircon units.

Don't find many in the wild! Me too (housing) 😁

How is that helpful

I would buy an aircon unit now if you think you will get one, if you leave it until there is a heatwave, choice will be very limited or non existent

Don't buy shoddy newbuilds that will show to be in breach of building reg in a few years down (ie: cladding scandal)? Rent instead.

Portable AC!

I live in a new build home and it’s unbearable in the heat, even if it’s not massively warm but there is sun streaming through the window we often have a house that’s sweltering, but getting AC unit fitted is too expensive for us. We bought a portable ac from Amazon last year, it was £200 but as expensive as it was it has been the best purchase we have ever made. Honestly a life saver. You will not regret. It’ll come with a hose you put out the window. Have a look and invest if you can, you will love it!

I think I may be doing the sheet thing for the loft Velux window and I am finally going to invest in a standalone Meaco air container unit. As others have said, it’s only to get hotter and it’s daft to have a room and not be able to use it. Having both windows open ( roof one and on the opposite wall) is a good plan to get a flow of air. All reviews point to how noisy the AC units are, so cooling it to a comfortable level before using the room may be the way forward.

There’s lots of good advice on this thread, outside AC ( I worry about the running costs tbh). We have thermal honeycomb blinds and blackout curtains in two bedrooms, and shutters and blackout curtains in the other bedroom and downstairs. These all help.

I used fridge-cold hot water bottles during that horrific London heatwave and fans. The cooling towels were a godsend on holiday! I may look for the dog mats too

Good luck OP. My dd lives in a well- insulated flat which doesn’t do well in the heat