So, from what I gather most Brits don't have AC?
this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Nope. We don't even all own electric fans.
When the typical temperature is less than 18C yea you don't need it. Up until now you'd maybe get a few days and the cost was not worth it. Most people would think it's better to spend the money on insulation for when the temp gets low.
I heard a Brit say the other day it was scorching out. So I asked how hot it was, they said 25 degrees C. I laughed so hard I almost fell from my chair. Where I live it was 33 degrees at that time and had been 39 degrees earlier that week.
Dry or humid?
The problem with British heat is that it's very humid, which is a lot worse than a dry heat. I've hardly felt a dry European 40°, but anything over 27° at home (Sheffield) and I'm just flobbing about trying to cool down.
Extremely humid, we were at 86% around then.
Fair enough. It's probably just what you're used to then. I remember being over in the Caribbean a few years ago, someone got out of the sea and went "it's cold". Cold I said? You come to England I'll show you cold.
Cue the northern Canadians scoffing at my definition of cold.
It's not often over 25° here so we're not used to it. Plus our houses are designed to keep the heat in and the cold wet out.
The other commenter is right, but another problem is that our homes and cities are designed to trap a lot of heat in. So while it might say 25C on the weather apps, it can get up to 40C inside. Come to the UK during the summer and you will understand.
It's because you don't know how to manage it. For a short term, few hot days, the trick is to air all night and shut everything up early in the morning as soon as the temperature starts rising. Your house will trap cold just as well as warm. But British people think that open windows = colder so they mess this up every time. I lived in the UK for the last three summers, in a perfectly ordinary row house from the 70s. It was fine with normal heat management strategies that one would use in eg Germany. Yes, if a heatwave lasts a long time this strategy will start to fail, if you can't cool properly at night, but it works for at least three days of over 30°.
I had the same response when I went LA a few years ago. It was 24 and I thought it was boiling all the LA people roared with laughter
english weather is so mild that they as a civilization havent really got to good heating and cooling yet
We're good at heating, but yeah not great at cooling. Thing it it's only really an issue for maybe 4 or 5 weeks in a year in total. So far.
Nothing can convince me that northern European climate isn't the best climate for humans. It's nice to have warm summers and all but for the rest of the year I'll decide how hot I am thank you very much.
The best climate is here in Medellin. It’s called the city of eternal spring. All year round the daytime temperatures are around 23°.
I really like having seasons. Seeing nature around you change every year is fascinating. Also there's nothing like walking home on a crisp snowy winter night. 23°C is around my upper limit for what's comfortable.
As somebody who still wears shorts in -5C, that does sound pretty nice. Anything above about 27 can go fuck itself.
Can confirm, have been through all three stages just this morning
My wife for the past few weeks. In fact since I met her about 6 years ago.
Britain need a little light?
