this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2026
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[–] RIotingPacifist@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

Always wonder what would have happened if the government put the energy it put into arresting people for demanding better insulation, into better insulation instead of arresting them.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Neoliberalism at its peak

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 5 days ago

hot enough to cook eggs in the heat.

[–] tylersloeper@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago

Well sleeping babies have a dramatically higher chance of sudden death above a certain temperature. So yeah, keep your newborns cool.

[–] multifariace@lemmy.world 0 points 6 days ago (2 children)

As a native Floridian, it blew my mind that AC was not the default everywhere. I did know that the only legal requirement for a home was heat and water, but when does your heat source not also cool the home?

[–] titanicx@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago

There are homes in Florida that don't have ac. We get stories all the time of old folks dying there in heat waves.

[–] lenocolomo@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

You floridians have AC's as a standard? So you can wrestle alligators and tame lions (before jumping from a plane ofc) in the cold? Nice.

[–] BeUnique@lemmy.zip 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Wouldn't buying an air conditioner be cheaper?

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 2 points 6 days ago (4 children)

So get planning consent, find someone who has a conditioner in stock, find an engineer to install it, all in a few hours?

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

This comment is hilarious because a heat pump and mini-split system can be installed by basically anyone in a few hours. It only requires a single hole drilled through an exterior wall, to reach the outside where your heat pump goes. After that, it’s just a matter of running hoses to the various mini-splits that are bolted to the walls in your various rooms. And if you really want to be economical, you can strategically cool certain rooms (like the bedrooms and office) while leaving the rest of the house hot. That way you’re not needing to cool the entire house, you’re just creating a few safe havens where you’ll spend most of your time.

[–] Benaaasaaas@group.lt 2 points 6 days ago

And plumbing, also since this post is about the UK you are probably not allowed to do half the things w/o license and the building you're living on is historical so doesn't allow external unit

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'm guessing window units are not common then? Or you have different windows.

[–] BeUnique@lemmy.zip 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Nah, they have these skinny ones that are mounted on walls near the ceiling.

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That’s a mini-split, which is technically a heat pump instead of an air conditioner. They can be extremely energy efficient for heating (they can easily reach above 100% efficiency in terms of power usage vs heat production) because you’re not actually generating heat, you’re just moving it around. If you want to cool a room, you pump it outside. And if you want to heat a room, you pump heat in from outside. You can even bury the heat lines if you have the yard for it, and (as long as you bury deeper than the local frost line) you’ll be able to use geothermal to get efficient heating even when it’s frigid outside.

[–] BeUnique@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

Yeah that sounds right. I'm not totally sure about the UK but in Spain, Italy, and Ireland they have those mini splits instead of air conditioners in a lot of places. I know because it was something I specifically verified they had in all hotels I stayed in as a wimpy American that needs his cold air!

I also owned a condo in Spain for a bit, (lost it in it in a divorce) and we had one installed along with a dryer since those are fairly uncommon in Spain. It's like a skinny ass thing towards the top of usually high sealing with a small duct installed behind it and much less powerful than your run of the mill window AC in the US. It did the trick when it was around 85 degrees F outside but just barely.

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml -1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

a window unit can be installed in less than 5 minutes, no engineer necessary and because its a window unit it's easily removed so you shouldn't need planning permission

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 2 points 6 days ago

Few houses have compatible windows.

[–] BeUnique@lemmy.zip 0 points 6 days ago

You guys need an engineer to install a basic wall mounted AC with a small duct or even better one that doesn't require a duct at all and is just mountable? Or better yet, the various portable AC units you can buy that come on wheels and follow you into every room.... I get the availability factor I guess.

[–] thepig@lemmy.zip 39 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Honestly from someone that has a lot of trouble dealing with the heat I hope people become more aware of how dangerous heat can become. So tired of hearing people complain about the cold like the heat is aways good. I don't have a heater, in fact I can sleep with the windows open in negative temperatures (celsius) but I NEED an air conditioner in the summer, but people always complain like is some sort of luxury, no is not, I don't tell people during the winter that heating is a luxury despite the fact that I don't have any heating

[–] MrKoyun@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Cold is objectively better than heat. There are many cheap and easy ways to heat yourself up that can be applied in most situations, compared to cooling yourself down where you're basically down to an AC or a fan.

Yeah, I live in the southern US where it gets proper hot, and I definitely prefer the cold. You can always put more layers on. Generating heat is extremely easy from an engineering standpoint. There are even ways to do it chemically for things like reusable hand warmers.

But holy hell, when it’s hot hot, there are only so many things you can do to avoid it. Unlike the cold, there is a limit to how many layers you can take off. And if you’re in the sun, taking off layers may actually make you hotter in the long term.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Same!

I also hate the term 'lovely weather' for such hot days. Lovely and people dieing from heat exhaustion is an awkward combo.

[–] thepig@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Exactly, wildfires everywhere, people dying, food spoiling and making people sick, UV radiation increasing your chances of skin cancer, everything and everyone smells bad from the sweat. Not "lovely" at all, specialy cause there's not much you can do to protect yourself, unlike the cold, good clothes won't save you

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[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 week ago (3 children)

This means that safety from extreme heat is a privilege not a right.

Access to A/C for everyone is a progressive measure.

[–] ranzispa@mander.xyz 1 points 4 days ago

A/C for everyone is not a need. I live in a considerably warmer place than England, never had an A/C and never desired one. I live just fine and don't feel the need for an extra appliance cluttering my home. Most people around here do just fine without A/C.

Houses are built according to the needs of the place where they are built.

This is indeed a problem happening right now, this is a good temporary solution. I do believe a better structural solution to this problem may be required, but I don't think that would be to add A/C to all houses.

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[–] ziltoid101@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

As an Aussie visiting Europe that regularly deals with these temperatures... This is so much more uncomfortable than an Aussie summer. But it's an easy fix: make AC a standard measure (the amount of shops and restaurants here that are high 30s INSIDE is something I've never seen before), make free drinking water a legal requirement, and make public toilets a thing too (so people don't need to worry about hydrating!)

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

American Southerner, here, and I feel for y'all. Be safe.

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[–] Tabula_stercore@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] valkyre09@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (3 children)

You can book a cheap premier inn for about £45 a night in the UK.

Sure it’s still expensive, but the occasional splurge to get a comfortable nights sleep seems more cost effective than buying and running your own air con

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