Number of air conditioned UK homes doubles to more than 4m in three years
Summary
The number of UK homes with air conditioning has doubled to 4 million in the past three years due to hotter summers and more people working from home. Experts and government advisers say air conditioning will become essential as temperatures rise and homes overheat more often.Key Facts
- About 4 million UK homes now have air conditioning, twice as many as three years ago.
- Portable units using around 1kW of power are more common than built-in units, which use up to 2.7kW.
- Recent UK summers have been very warm, with the hottest day reaching 40°C in July 2022.
- Air conditioning helps with health and comfort problems, especially in loft conversions and homes with children.
- Government climate advisers say all care homes and hospitals should have air conditioning within 10 years.
- Heatwaves over 40°C are expected across the UK by 2050, and 90% of homes may overheat.
- Air conditioning uses a lot of energy and causes about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
- Modern systems like heat pumps can be more efficient and are partly subsidised by the government.
- Running costs for air conditioning are much higher than for fans, but fans do not cool the air, only move it.
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