REFRIGERANTS
AIR CONDITIONING
Playing Jenga: UK domestic AC pieces falling into place
Long anticipated, the pieces in the UK domestic air conditioning puzzle are fi nally falling into place, says David McSherry, head of sales for Toshiba UK, Carrier Global Comfort Solutions Europe.
T
he UK’s temperate climate has historically been too mild for people to worry about cooling their homes. But as average temperatures climb, domestic air
conditioning sales are also on the rise. Last year, as the mercury climbed to an unprecedented 40°C in the UK, homeowners scrambled for increasingly inventive yet ultimately unsuccessful ways to keep cool. Coningsby in Lincolnshire recorded 40.3°C, breaking a barrier that had previously seemed insurmountable in this country. Traditionally, UK residents have gritted their teeth through hot weather, ticking off the days before enjoying in chilled hotel rooms on a foreign holiday. However, over the last year, online searches for air conditioning in the UK have soared. The country is now fourth on the list of countries googling the search term ‘air conditioning’, according to Google Trends, just behind the U.S., whose residents have enthusiastically embraced air conditioning, with 90% having a unit at home – compared to the 3-5% in the
UK.All of the UK’s 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2002 and heatwaves are now 30 times more likely to happen.
Homes in warmer climates, such as southern Europe, are traditionally built with thicker walls and smaller south-facing
windows to keep out the blazing Mediterranean sunshine and ensure temperatures remain comfortable. In the UK, on the other hand, houses are designed to keep heat in, rather than out. The future trend is clear. By 2035, around 20% of London homes will need air conditioning, according to a recent report from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Building regulations It’s not just rising temperatures that are driving increased
sales of domestic air conditioning, improved building standards are also powering the change. As part of the UK’s strategy to improve effi ciency and cut carbon, updated regulations require much higher levels of insulation and lower air leakage rates than in the past. As a result, today’s homes are highly insulated and almost hermetically sealed. While these insulated homes are incredibly energy effi cient, they do not provide necessary ventilation in the hot temperatures. From an energy effi ciency standpoint, this is highly
desirable. It is fi ne for homeowners, too, so long as they are able to open windows to provide natural ventilation and allow heat to escape. However, for those living in cities with high levels of noise and air pollution, this is not always possible. In these situations, air conditioning can provide much-needed relief. The downside, of course, is the additional energy
required, which runs counter to the aims of introducing higher insulation and leakage standards in the fi rst place. Fortunately, today’s modern inverter-controlled, heat pump- based systems are far ahead of conventional systems in terms of energy effi ciency and performance. The desire for improved indoor air quality, with pollution concerns and post-Covid sensitivity, is also contributing to an awareness of the benefi ts of air conditioning. The latest data from the World Health Organisation underlines the seriousness of the issue, with an estimated 3.2 million people dying prematurely each year due to indoor air pollution.
Working from home
(l to r) David Dunn, Sales Director North Europe, Carrier Global Comfort Solutions Europe and Dave Meseck, whose home Toshiba helped to future-proof.
26 September 2023 •
www.acr-news.com
Another important factor at play is the increase in remote work, as a result of the pandemic. Many people continue to
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