The increasingly frequent extreme heat in the UK is shifting the national conversation regarding air conditioning and home cooling. For many, the impact is not just a matter of comfort but a significant health concern.
Mandy Bourne, who lives in a top-floor social housing flat in the West Midlands with her 80-year-old mother, describes the struggle of living in a home that traps heat. The solid brick construction of their building, common across the UK, absorbs warmth throughout the day and radiates it back into the living space, leaving the rooms unable to cool down effectively.
For Bourne, the rising indoor temperatures have direct consequences for her physical wellbeing. She suffers from a chronic lung condition, which is exacerbated by the heat. "I've got COPD and sometimes I can't breathe," she explains. Mandy says she is constantly reaching for her inhaler as her flat overheats. "It's red hot in the flat. The sun is just beaming in."
Across the UK, solid brick homes like theirs quietly absorb heat the way they have for decades. Charged‑up walls radiate warmth back into rooms that never get the chance to cool.
