Unbearably hot flat (leaseholder) why can’t AC be allowed if health risk

[FTBregret]

Londoner, stupidly bought a new-ish build flat that is like a greenhouse (I viewed it in winter). My flat can reach up to 39°c inside and I despise this flat regret buying but can’t go back and it’s not a suitable time for me to sell. During summer I try to avoid staying at home for too long. I’m disabled live alone, regularly feel unwell, have previously fainted, got dizzy spells, and barely sleep but my housing Clarion couldn’t care less

I keep all windows shut during the day but open them at night (single aspect windows so not much breeze). Sometimes I’ll also put fan with ice facing out the open window at night too but barely does much.

I purchased portable AC but it’s inefficient, it doesn’t cool the overall room well enough and you only feel cool if you stand right in front of it. Also I can’t keep windows open all day for safety reasons. Americans claim single hose portable acs which are commonplace in UK are inefficient compared to dual hose (can’t find dual in Uk), there’s some science behind it. Makes sense as my portable ac is no where near as good as split ac or even my friends flat (no ac) who has cross ventilation

Desperately want split ac and/or external shutters but as a leaseholder it won’t be allowed. Why is it not considered as a health safety risk to have to live in these temps as a disabled adult

I’m sure many will comment to tell me I’m being ridiculous and lacking resilience but I have relatives who live in Arizona who wouldn’t sleep in temps above 23°c… why do we have to suffer like this in a first world country

For those romanticising 1976 (seems prevalent on BBC comments): an interesting titbit from The Conversation:
It was reported that “200 people a day were apparently dying who would not have died if the weather had been normal”. During the peak of the heatwave, deaths increased by 28% in the southeast England and 33% in Greater London.
The Conversation 1976

There were some tenants who hung huge banners on their flat windows saying Dont rent dont buy Too hot Was a couple of years back

There’s always someone on every thread, just ignore them.

I used to use a large fan before I moved to a place with air con and found it very effective. Even with air con I normally just put it on the fan setting unless it is extremely hot, and that is good enough to cool down the living area.

You need a water cooled air conditioner if you want something like a mini split without any exterior venting/condenser. They absolutely do exist. For this heatwave you need a portable unit rated to the size of the room you have. How big is the room? 10,000 btu will only manage roughly 250-300 sq feet if the room gets a lot of direct sunlight. The right now solution is a bigger btu unit.

I’m surprised a good AC like that isn’t enough. Could the sash attachment be modified? I take it it’s rigid plastic, but just too big? Could you pay a handyman with a jigsaw to make it the perfect size for your window?

DH made his own one of these with perspex from Wickes but you can buy them made to measure though obviously not in time for this heatwave

www.cutmy.co.uk/air-conditioner-window-seal/

A 'swamp cooler' type of aircon works really well. It was all I had available when I lived in a desert area years ago. It's a fan that blows air through wet material (in a purchased cooler, it's layers of fabric). You could make your own version with a heavy duty fan and a thinnish towel that you make sure remains wet (dunk it periodically). Allow the fan to blow through the fabric.

You can get normal tin foil and wet the window. The foil will cling to the water. We used to do this to black out bedrooms for the kids on holiday but the accidental benefit was that it blocked not only any sun during the day too, it actually reflected it away. So cooler rooms at night.

The only thing that makes me feel better is being with other people during the day (the night is just a survival 😂)

we can all moan together and basically get through. If I'm by myself I feel ten times worse!

We haven’t hit the peak heat yet so I don’t know if it willl still work for me next week but I put my dehumidifier on and found the drier heat easier to cope with , my room got to 29 for a period & we also had a couple of fans .

Im going to do this. My house will look like a drug den but I don't care.

I think you should be allowed aircon. You have my total sympathy OP.

The problem is new build flats seem to have huge windows, are built to keep the heat in and are surrounded by hard landscaping. We need to rethink how we build and freeholders will need to look at cooling as well as heating if they provide central services.

Ironically we live in a 1930s block of flatas in London, built well before climate change heatwaves and we are generally fine without air con or even large fans. We have thick walls, the exterior of the building is painted white and most helpfully we have a large private garden with trees and hedges that offer a lot shade. Meaning even in the 2022 heatwave where it got to 40 degrees for 3 days we never got hotter than 26 degrees inside.

You have been given some good temporary advice for the immediate future. Definitely get black out blinds AND heavy curtains for bedroom windows and keep them and the windows shut during the day. We have that in both bedrooms (mainly because I need to keep light out of the bedroom at sleep at night but it really helps in the heat).

People mocked the wet sheet idea but it really works. Stuck in an unairconditioned hotel room in 38 degree temperatures for a couple of days in France last year, I managed to sleep well by soaking a large, thin cotton scarf in cold water and laying completely over my naked body.

Make sure all your bedding is 100% cotton, as good quality as you can afford , that also makes a difference.

When we lived in Australia I did find those fancy Dyson bladeless fans very good. You could also think about installing a ceiling fan directly over the bed, you know the sort they use in Asia, not sure if that would need permission since it would be entirely internal to your flat?

No idea if these are good but they keep popping up on my social media. https://running.reviews/blogs/recovery/pulsio-thermasleep-review

It's a mattress topper that you can set a temperature on. Not cheap though

OP you are ignoring the fact/advice that you need to vent your a/c outside. This is your issue. It will work, I promise! It just takes a bit of fiddling and maybe a handyman if you aren’t handy yourself.

I'm an electrician OP, do you have a balcony outside? If you do the external unit could be stood on the balcony on Unistrut with rubber feet and the pipework run through a small hole, so nothing outside would need to be fixed to anything - of course that will only work with a balcony.

She'll still need permission from the freeholder to drill a hole through the external wall.

I'm alone in the day too, so all I wear is pants. Bare bum all over seating is grim, imo. And why on earth would you wear socks in a heatwave?!

Completely empathise and think it should be allowed.

But I’m surprised the AC unit isn’t doing the job, how big is the room you’re trying to cool? We have them in the kids’ bedrooms (cheap ones, less than £200) their bedrooms get above 30C in summer. The units are noisy and a faff to set up, they don’t get the temp down as well as our proper AC unit. But they do get them down to a sufficient level. Are you trying to do too big an area? Could you focus on a smaller room like a bedroom and stick to there this week?

I would honestly install it and if they tried to make me take it out I would tell them to take me to court.

No judge is going to tell you you have to roast to death in your own home when there is an obvious solution.

Actually, legally yes they would. The court decision would be bound to the contract OP signed.

Well yes you will be hot if the bloody windows are closed all day just keep every window open wide all day unless you go out! Even if you live on the ground floor im sure the general public are not looking to break into your home,...thats like saying to someone i dont like jam but when i eat it i feel sick, just dont eat the jam! Just open your windows!

Then at least I'd get a couple of years in a cool home whilst the battle raged on.