Rich Londoners baulk at hearing ‘no’ in efforts to install air-conditioning units.

London – As Londoners struggle to adjust to rising temperatures, some of the city’s wealthier residents are discovering that money does not always provide the relief they seek.

With temperatures in some parts of the London Underground recently exceeding levels considered safe for cattle, climate change is radically altering the experience of living in Britain’s capital. The result has been an increase in demand for air conditioning units in high-end homes.

According to Mr Richard Gill, director of the London-based architecture firm Paul Archer Design, air-conditioning units were once uncommon requests.

However, approximately 30% of his clients, primarily London’s higher earners such as lawyers and finance professionals, now require air conditioning.

Not everyone, however, gets it. According to Mr Gill, hearing “no” can be difficult for people who are used to plush climate-controlled offices, foreign travel, and cars. The challenges that Londoners face in installing air conditioning units in their homes vary.

Attaching units to old buildings may be subject to technical or aesthetic restrictions.

Sometimes councils simply reject claims of overheating. Mr Gill claims he had a client living in a 1920s home in Highgate, north London, who had requested permission to install air conditioning in 2022, the first year Britain recorded temperatures above 40°C. The council denied the request because they determined that the house would not overheat.

Mr Gill stated that the client “would beg to differ”. “Plenty of my clients go, ‘I understand Richard, it is a first world problem, but my kids can’t sleep and I work long hours’.”

Mr Gary Woodward, managing director of Airconco, a north London-based company, says that while it is clear that properties in large parts of London are now “extremely hot” during the summer months, current restrictions prevent or delay installations in 30% to 40% of residential dwellings.

A family in Camden, a north London borough that includes wealthy neighbourhoods such as Hampstead, Primrose Hill, and Belsize Park, was denied permission for two air-conditioning units earlier in 2025 due to noise and “visual clutter” concerns, according to public documents reviewed by Bloomberg.

The application included images of a thermometer that showed evening temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius in the home’s south-facing bedrooms.

The family was experiencing a “massive issue of overheating within a property that is difficult to cool to safe temperatures,” according to the report submitted by their planning consultant.

“The fundamental issue of this application is not one of comfort, but rather safety for the applicants’ children.” Ms Claire Coutinho, the Conservative shadow energy secretary who was in charge of Britain’s energy policy until 2024, has been outspoken in her criticism of existing regulations, warning that “bureaucrats in ivory towers” are preventing access to air-conditioning.

Another application for a rooftop unit submitted to Kensington and Chelsea council in 2024 was denied after neighbours expressed concerns that it would be too obtrusive, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg. The city of London did not make aggregate data on air-conditioning applications available.

According to a Camden Council spokesperson, air-conditioning applications are reviewed in light of the borough’s development plan, which includes policies on sustainability, design, and noise.

A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea Council stated that there were more restrictions than in other areas because three-quarters of the borough is of special architectural or historical interest.

The examples demonstrate that climate change can be insensitive to demographic differences, such as Britain’s famous class divide.

Britain, which has had to deal with recurring sewage leaks into its rivers due to poor water utility management in recent years, is now grappling with rising temperatures that affect all of its citizens.

Though data on air conditioning is scarce, a government estimate for 2022 suggests that less than 5% of British households have it.

Meanwhile, 55% of British homes have overheating bedrooms, according to an Arup consultancy analysis published the same year.

Arup, which conducted the study for Britain’s Climate Change Committee, found that overheating was even more prevalent in London. Small bedrooms, loft rooms, and apartments are especially vulnerable, it said.

A separate study released in June discovered that indoor overheating reported in British homes increased from 20% in 2011 to 82% in 2022. It is a trend that is being observed throughout Europe, where demand for air conditioning is increasing.

“We are used to having the heating mindset,” says Dr. Simon Pezzutto, a senior researcher at Eurac.

“But now with climate change, we need to switch to the cooling mindset – and most cities in northern Europe are not prepared for that.” The United Nations estimates that the world will warm by more than 3 degrees Celsius.

According to the Arup analysis, once the temperature rises above 2 degrees Celsius, roughly one in every five British homes will require air conditioning to remain comfortable.

The rest should be able to get by with ceiling fans, reflective paint, and shutters, the report said.

Mr Andy Love, founder of Shade the UK, a community interest company that collaborates with the government and authorities to manage overheating risk in buildings, believes air conditioning can help keep people safe during extreme heat.

However, he also advises homeowners to consider other options first. External shutters, which are rarely used in British homes, are effective and cost less to install and operate, he said.

“If we jump straight into an air-conditioning country, it’s a shame,” Mr. Love declared.

Whatever the solution, overheated buildings pose real dangers. Overheating at night causes poor sleep, which, in addition to being uncomfortable, can lead to long-term health issues such as immune system damage and an increased risk of heart disease.

The inability to cool down at night also reduces the body’s ability to cope with prolonged periods of heat, increasing the risk of dehydration and heat stress. In Britain, some restrictions on installing air-conditioning units are gradually being lifted.

For example, in 2025, the government added air-to-air heat pumps – air-conditioning units that can heat and cool – to the list of building projects that can be completed without obtaining permission.

In addition, the government is considering including air-to-air systems in a subsidy program designed to make heat pumps more accessible, in order to help Britain achieve its net-zero goals.However, limits remain in place.

Apartments and buildings deemed valuable for conservation or aesthetic reasons, which are frequently expensive residences inhabited by high-income individuals, continue to require special permission.

“Those rules were written for a cooler climate and a dirtier grid,” says Sam Richards, a former government adviser and CEO of Britain Remade, a campaign organisation. “Neither of which exists anymore.” BLOOMBERG.

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