Britons Turn to Air Conditioning as Record Heatwaves Make Cooling a Necessity

Air conditioning was once a rare luxury in Britain something reserved for office towers, hotels or the occasional high‑end home. But for Londoner Zainab Hussain, that era is over. After enduring back‑to‑back extreme heatwaves, the 35‑year‑old says she “can’t see how we’ll survive without it,” joining a fast‑growing number of households installing AC as the country swelters through unprecedented temperatures.

She and her husband first added cooling downstairs in their semi‑detached home in Selsdon, south London, but last month’s brutal heatwave made the upstairs “really unbearable,” prompting them to expand the system. “Our summers were just getting more and more unbearable,” Hussain said as installers fitted the new unit.

But the rise of domestic air conditioning has sparked concern among sustainability experts. Rajat Gupta, professor of sustainable architecture and climate change at Oxford Brookes University, warns that AC should not become Britain’s “default answer.” He argues that widespread adoption will drive up electricity demand, household bills and carbon emissions while worsening the urban heat island effect by pumping hot exhaust air onto already overheated streets.

Despite the warnings, demand is surging. Only 5% of British homes currently have air conditioning, yet half overheat during summer months, according to a 2025 report by the Center for British Progress. The think tank has urged wider AC adoption, citing rising heat‑related deaths now in the low thousands each summer and productivity losses as temperatures climb.

The urgency is growing as UK climate records continue to fall. England just experienced its warmest June since 1884, and all of Britain’s five hottest summers have occurred in the 21st century. Scientists say human‑driven climate change is making extreme heatwaves more frequent and more intense.

For AC installer Joe Springett, who has spent nearly two decades in the industry, the shift is unmistakable. “I’m getting busier and busier domestically, where people want it in their houses,” he said while installing the Hussains’ new unit.

What was once a niche luxury is rapidly becoming a necessity and a stark symbol of how quickly Britain’s climate reality is changing.