Britain is getting hotter – but are air conditioners the answer?

The text of the rising temperatures ended by turning to the air conditioner to deal with more British heat – but you should buy one?

Air-Con’s benefits are well documented. Studies show that Hot days make it less efficient to work and work And it’s harder to achieve a good night’s sleep.

However, the price is now much higher than a few years ago, and the surrounding groups are worried about chemicals used to cool the air.

Some consumers are also worried about the spread of viruses of Air -Con devices – but these did not stop the rise of sales.

John Lewis said it sold 8% more portable Air-Con units last year than the previous year.

Currys saw a leap in 140% orders in June – The second second most hot recorded – Compared to the same month in 2024.

BBC News spoke to three experts to find out if the environment, financial and medical concerns about air conditioning have been well established.

“There should be no choice between staying cold and saving the planet,” he says.

The charity institution in which he works look at companies that harm the environment.

It is concerned about how cooling chemicals used in Air-Con devices contribute to climate heating.

Most air conditioners in the world use some kind of hydrophlorocarbon (HFC), Extremely strong greenhouse gases This is more heat than carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent in the atmosphere.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a HFC species can be thousand or tens of thousands of times stronger depending on the species.

HFCs may escape to the atmosphere if Air-Con units are damaged or not appropriately. Bad ones can gradually leak chemicals.

Ms. Mahapatra thinks that manufacturers should use less damaging chemicals in their units, Now they do it for some big refrigerators Sold to supermarkets.

This change followed the campaigns led by environmental groups such as EIA, but such a transition in the air conditioning industry has not yet been realized, as HFCs continued to be an affordable and effective cooling chemical.

Until then, Ms. Mahapatra advises consumers to dispose of Air-Con devices through recycling centers, so that the HFC in it can be properly reused or destroyed.

He also wants people to buy more energy -saving units. This means spending more money, but it can save cash using less electricity in the long run.

Consumers can do so only on hot days.

This is exactly what Ed Hezlet did. It uses about 15 days a year to keep the portable air conditioner’s bedroom cool and help to sleep better.

He said that he bought his device a few years ago for about £ 300 and was worth the comfort it provides, including operating costs.

“My portable unit provides approximately 2.6 kilowatt cooling. Approximately one kilowatt electric, so I probably running about 22p.

If it were really hot and opened it all night and night, it would have been a bit above £ 5 – but that’s not just a room and the whole house.

Research by East London University, published in April, found that about 80% of British houses were overheating in the summer.

According to their survey, the use of air conditioners increased sharply to 2022 in ten years – when about 21% of the houses used a kind.

In 2011, a government survey found that only 2-3% of households had a kind of transportable or fixed air cooling unit.

BSRIA, a research company, estimated that this figure was between 3-5% for the period between 2013-19.

Mr. Hezlet works as an Energy Analyst for Thinktank, which has published a report that calls for legal changes that will make people more appropriate for people to establish air conditioning systems that can cool all their homes.

A proposed change is a boiler upgrade scheme that makes money with alternatives that do not rely on fossil fuels such as heat pumps and biomass boilers to the government of the government.

. The government wants to reduce England’s carbon emissions By encouraging people to use heat pumps that work with clean energy from sources such as wind and sun.

Currently, the schema does not contain heat pumps from air to air as an alternative, but Mr. Hezlet thinks that it needs to provide cooling and heating.

“In my opinion, consumers – not carrots, not just the rods – if you can benefit, you have a higher chance of adopting the heat pump,” he says.

Using heat pumps from air to air means that consumers can solve two problems with a single technology-reduces carbon emissions and cools on hot days. But it is expensive without government grant.

The cost of the installation of such a heat pump varies depending on what kind of home you have and already depending on the heating and water system; Estimates range from £ 4,000 to £.

. Grant for suitable heat pumps under the boiler upgrade diagram – None of them can provide Air -con – £ 7,500, and British Gas says to its customers in 2023 the average installation cost is 5,690 £.

One of the most common concerns among people who think of an air conditioner is whether they sick them.

Prof. Dr. Leicester University Associate Professor of Clinical Microbiology Primrose Freestone says that what is known as patient building syndrome can lead to symptoms.

“The air conditioner does, change the composition of the air, so that the weather is cooler and more dry.

This can lead to some people to develop problems such as cough or nasal discharge, but Air-Con only causes serious problems such as infections when units are weak or dirty.

“Viruses and bacteria can also be transferred by air conditioning systems.

Legionary disease is one of the more common infections that may be caused by poorly kept units. In rare cases, they can often spread diseases that are not considered to be in the air.

“In China, in a kindergarten, Norovirus, who was usually transferred from the mouth or surfaces, entered the air and infected half of the class.”

Dr Freestone says that if Air-Con units are quality, if they are kept clean and their filters have changed regularly in accordance with the guidance of the manufacturers.

“In this way, your Air-Con system is less likely to be a source of infection and irritation, and the weather is more likely to make it really clean.”

Air -Con needs for Mrs. Mahapatra – Reduces heat -dependent deaths – But the industry needs to change.

“I think the air conditioner really represents a paradox right now, or he says.

“It can save life during heat waves and are required in many ways for human nutrients, but they are specific [HFC] Cooling fluids are strong greenhouse gases. “

Says this is Unnecessary considering the technology available today And he thinks it is important for consumers to demand that manufacturers to adapt.

“In the world of warming, cooling is no longer a luxury.”