How will things change if our summers keep getting hotter

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Cossy

One of my friends lives in Spain, Costa del Sol. It’s going to be 40c this week, and very hot for at least 6 weeks.

She only goes out very early in the morning and much later in the evening and stays inside days with air con on.

Ditto my friend who lives in Vence, near Nice.

The biggest differences are all their homes, and most of their shops and restaurants have air con, both these ladies have access to big outdoor swimming pools, workers shut down in the middle of the day, all have a siesta for a couple of hours in the hottest part of the day.

Cannot see how that would work here.

It is hard to imagine.
Also in hotter countries families go out late in the evenings and all the shops/cafes/restaurants are open. Because is too hot to go out earlier.
Is a whole different culture.
But in time we may no choice than to develop a different culture in order to survive rising temps.

The changes will come gradually. A week or so ago the weather was dull and chilly and no doubt in a few days it will be much cooler again. Surely in the mean time we can cope with a bit of common sense.

Norah

Air con certainly helps make life pleasant.

Of course; so does central heating in winter.

They both cost money to run.

So pensioners who can't afford to heat and eat , maybe can't afford to be cool and full in hot weather.

Won’t happen in my lifetime, anyway I love the hot days so
I m in my element

BlueBelle

Won’t happen in my lifetime, anyway I love the hot days so
I m in my element

One of my DDs adores this weather, the other, like me, finds it too uncomfortable. Am wondering if it is how people regulate heat. I don’t think I regulate it very well, even in winter if I go somewhere and the central heating is on too high I feel awful but my heat loving DD doesn’t even notice.
I do like sunny summery weather but more in keeping with seasonal averages and not the same as in Athens or Marrakech.

Looks suspiciously like a rain storm here in the South East. Definitely not in our weather forecast for the area.
Have the plug in solar panels actually materialised, I haven't seen any advertised yet?

As all uk governments have shown that this country in incapable of long term planning. Look how long it’s taken all governments to get their heads round solar panels.
We should have in place now plans to build houses that are mega insulated. This will help towards the use of air con units.
The funny part is, unless we get serious about solar power we won’t have the electricity to run them.
Houses should be built that allow good airflow.
All houses should be built with windows that produce solar power.

petra

As all uk governments have shown that this country in incapable of long term planning. Look how long it’s taken all governments to get their heads round solar panels.
We should have in place now plans to build houses that are mega insulated. This will help towards the use of air con units.
The funny part is, unless we get serious about solar power we won’t have the electricity to run them.
Houses should be built that allow good airflow.
All houses should be built with windows that produce solar power.

Yes! DH and I have been saying this for years and years.

Not practical maybe to instal air con in new builds but why not utilise underfloor heating which can thrown out cold air in the summer. Why not utilise solar panels in every home, where practical and possible?

We need to be so much smarter and forward plan and future proof as a country. Much as many of us do as individuals.

I’d include rain water harvesting, rain stored in a tank in a basement for later use, adopted in Europe and some parts of the USA.

There should be specific architectural courses aimed at climate change contingencies stating with a specific GCSE/A level. Lots of ideas would come from young brains and it is their future.

The air con manufacturers will do well. Not many of the houses over here don’t have it. Further North, where it is tropical and sub tropical, they tend to have wide verandahs sheltering the houses and keeping them cool. A lot of houses ( including ours) have swimming pools. I think it will be lovely - wine growing areas, exotic fruits etc. Sadly not in our lifetimes.

nanna8

My son-in-law and GS both work in the air conditioning industry in Australia.

As with many trades, there is always a need for good air conditioning engineers.

No one wants that type of work.

Perhaps more youngsters should be thinking of that as a career?

Don’t think AI can install and maintain air conditioning units (yet).

I lije many others, find it overwhelming, So glad I am at home and do not have to go out to work. If I do go abroad in future it will be off season.

Jaxjacky

I’d include rain water harvesting, rain stored in a tank in a basement for later use, adopted in Europe and some parts of the USA.

We had a rainwater harvesting tank sunk underneath our lawn, it stores 1,000’s of litres (sorry forgotten the exact amount) we can also use this water to flush two of our toilets (just manually swop pipe beside the cistern).

We have solar panels, and are looking into storage batteries now they are more efficient and take up less room.

We also have wooden blinds, which keep out the heat and light, in summer and keep in the heat in the winter.

Will be such a shame, if the 'English country garden' look disappears.

If the summers stay hot it will be glorious, getting a bit of sun and warmth into our old bones and we won’t have to pay to go to mainland where we mostly aren’t wanted anyway 🤣
It’s only been a week or so 🤣🤣🤣

Having the family home in Southern Spain, I just revert back to then.

Take things slowly, drinking lots of water, I adore the sun and heat.

I love Málaga too much to stop going. Beaches with a cool sea breeze, bliss! Spaniards have managed without air con for years. 🤷‍♀️

When we lived in France we had external shutters and split inverter aircon and heating. It worked well and was not expensive (but that was French nuclear energy and windfarms).
In England we have a flat with internal louvre shutters which seem to work well against cold and heat, creating a gap to trap the air.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I love Málaga too much to stop going. Beaches with a cool sea breeze, bliss! Spaniards have managed without air con for years. 🤷‍♀️

My Spanish family have ceiling fans and aircon, but they live in the interior of Andalucia. My son was walking to work in 40° yesterday.

I remember as a child my aunties house had a striped door curtain (deck chair material) over the front door in summer.
Presumably to save the paint work. And in even older grander victorian houses they had little canopies over front windows,like miniature shop canopies, that could be extended or folded back. Again I thought it must have been to save the carpets etc from sun bleaching. They looked charming.
Yesterday I was amazed at all those men attending parliament to see AB dressed in dark suits! Whilst the ladies wore summery outfits. Time to change fellas we need to promote our tailoring heritage in a more up to date fashion.

They could all be in dress down Friday mode in the H of C at this time of the year. Cool colours. Chinos and polo shirts. Polo shirts in their team colours!, Maybe panamas for the Conservatives. It would be fun. Women in striped cotton dresses. Would cheer us all up.

A problem with climate change is the new bugs and invasive species that must keep crawling northwards.

I would be thinking about how to adapt my house with eg external shutters on every window, roll down that I could control via a switch. These modern houses are so well insulated that heat comes in through the many windows, rather than walls

I don`t like A/C so would not have that

I don`t have carpets and would not have carpets

I already use a Dunelm insulated door curtain in my hall, it is excellent. I may well put another track up by my utility room door, for next year

I do not like ceiling fans, chunky and ugly and permanent. I like my Dyson pedestal fan for the bedroom

I already have good wooden plantation shutters indoors on all windows and perfect fit insulated blinds on my French doors. Bedroom windows have the same insulated blinds under shutters.