London’s risk from rising temperatures

New build apartment blocks from 2020 onwards are heat traps because of poor Building Regulations that are yet to be updated to remove this loophole. 

Shared ownership/social rent sections of those new builds over the last 25 years do not have cooling systems/AC in-built. Once people moved into those social housing flats, usually at the bottom of the building, they find that the inside temperatures can go up to 52 degrees centigrade (usually averaging 35-45 at peak summer). It's a nasty surprise, and residents then end up battling with their social housing landlords for a decade to retrofit AC/cooling systems, which end up costing more that simply connecting them with the private housing flats above during the original building of the housing block. Builders cut corners and put flimsy fixtures for social housing flats. They also actively disconnect the social housing floors from the main AC system during the build-phase.

My health was damaged for life after living 15 years in my first buyer shared ownership flat in a mid-rise building with 13 floors. The damage to health and the financial exploitation of ever increasing rent and service charge is not worth it long term. It can ruin your chances in life as you are run down to the ground and you become a regular fixture at the GP surgery and hospitals. No one wants that life. My old flat was surveyed by the council and found to have a Category 1 heat hazard. That was the type of flat sold to me by the housing association. It's criminal. I'm sacred of the 800,000 new build homes the government are planning because there is a high probability they will be heat hazard apartment blocks like this.

I would never live in a flat again.

It is so nice to have a decent summer again. At a few weeks short of 88 years old and with no air-conditioning or other help I am coping splendidly thanks. The sooner all this drivel from the Mayor and others about a "climate crisis" comes to a stop, the better. All the evidence shows that extremes of COLD cause more deaths than warmth. Enjoy the sunshine and stop wasting time and money.

High rise especially single aspect is hellish (Times june 29) People in flats cant ventilate and cant retrofit  blinds or shutters. Tenants can do nothing.

Where London councils are freeholders they should be enabling insulation and measures like external awnings. My freeholder Newham doesn't do anything.

I have been enjoying the sun and have been sleeping a lot with the fan on. I have enjoyed going out and socialising with my friends and family. 

Allowing more people to install air conditioning at home might seem like a short-term fix, but it actually adds to the problem. AC units pump heat out of buildings and into the air — making the city even warmer. It's a dangerous loop we're creating, like opening Pandora’s box.

Instead of just cooling ourselves indoors and pushing the problem outside, we need to find ways to reduce the overall heat in the environment. Otherwise, London will end up like the Victoria Line — electrified and overheating — where trapped heat becomes a design failure, not a solution. 

Agreed alarmism is not helpful during a crisis. Climate change however is real and a look at stats from experts across the globe confirms it 

How about taking Thames Water back? Thrice water is being cut off because some pipes burst. Privatized water company not reinvesting on infrastructure and blaming on old assets. Water is a necessity for humans and should never be privatised for profits in the first place.

Not one single answer related to the provision of air conditioning or the Mayor’s attempts to prevent and deter new builds from installing air conditioning. New builds are designed to keep heat in and are dangerously hot in the summer, even when there are no heatwaves. The Mayor and his team are failing Londoners. They must do something to help those in new builds to keep their flats cool. Paying lip service to this issue by discussing ridiculous and ineffective options, and totally ignoring the need for air conditioning is sadly not unexpected. Shame on the Mayor and his team. 

Insulation, ventilation and working with the sun are key. 

I live in a tiny, well-insulated, basement flat, which is easily aired by opening doors and windows. Plus I have a small but leafy garden which cools the air.  Only downside is occasional humidity. Wish I had permission for a heat pump as then I wouldn't need my dehumidifier. 

Many urban new builds have large windows, glass cladding and inadequate ventilation. And snobby rules about not drying clothes on the balcony!  Shutters, solar panels and green walls/roofs should be mandatory and outdoor laundry-drying encouraged.  More vegetation and less heat-holding concrete. Grey water soakaways to irrigate the vegetation and save energy on water purification.

Air con in public spaces is usually too cold imo and uses loads of electricity.  

As someone on SSRIs, I don't think public officials take to account just how bad heatwaves are for people on medication. It makes it unbearable and should be listed as vulnerable people that need extra support 

I have just been searching online for the best kind of blinds for reflecting sunlight and radiant heat. It is not that easy. The usual 'thermal' blind fabric is silvery coloured but not very efficient at keeping heat and light out. The blinds that do reflect solar light and heat are prohibitively high cost.  Maybe the GLA and Mayor should engage with blind manufacturers and suppliers about improving thermal and solar blinds, while keeping costs down so that ordinary people can afford them. The information about these blinds could be more accurate and detailed too. 

Change council planning conditions to include mandatory white roofs, solar panels and green roofs. Is it India where painting roofs white has made a significant difference to keeping homes habitable in the increasing temperatures? Mayor Khan should work with council planning departments on new measures in planning requirements, so that cooler buildings are built.

City Hall, the Mayor - the climate resilience and heat risk plans need to be bigger and bolder, much bolder. Take a good look at what other cities do around the world. Developers and anyone refurbishing or building needs to take a radically different approach to the usual one that is producing endless inadequate buildings, badly thought-out. This must be dealt with, now. HAs and council must retrofit insulation and other measures into old blocks of flats and houses. Residents must be allowed to have air con and heat pumps. The air con etc industry needs a huge push to develop more efficient and quieter equipment that can be used in flats. Time to get a proper grip on making London habitable for climate change. 

I have no problems in the heat during the day time, except for on the tube. Nights can be terrible when its hot though. 

I think there should be public water drinking facilities eveywhere for everyone.

The most miserable part of living in London in a heatwave is how extremely uncomfortable public transport is, yet the survey didn’t provide an opportunity to discuss this. Both tube trains & buses are at times unbearable, & I’m sure close to being unsafe because of the heat & the effect on people’s health. 

Humidity has a big effect on how we feel. The same temperature in dryer climates is bearable.

However from what people have written, it gives the impression that there is still a lot to be learnt, so that one can acclimatise to the situation somewhat.

Perhaps evening classes, group discussions, more intense publicity both online and in paper format would help.  

People especially elders because of their age are at a disadvantage as to that of youngsters, who as they will have grown up in this situation it will be part of their life, similar to their use of computers.

Also lessons on the subject should be included in their timetables.

The learning also appears to be needed with the people who make the decisions as to how we live and how to make it more endurable.

More control of making decisions in this matter should be limited to those of a younger age who will have more years to live through the above position. Older people will still able to have their say, but only as consultants.

Based on all the suggestions made by others it would appear that implementation of anything acceptable should be done more quickly.

Don’t leave everything to experts in the matter and expect them always to come up with a solution.

Looking at the internet there are currently about 8.2 billion people living on this planet.

Therefore, everyone should be asked to think about the current situation and put forward any suggestion even though it might appear to be stupid.

If you don’t think about something it will never happen.