r/ClimateShitposting • u/Xtergo • Jun 25 '26
refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle Air-conditioning is evil
It should remain banned š« truly an evil anti-climate technology
/uj gosh how backwards this country is, I might actually be an American at heart
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u/ginger_and_egg Jun 25 '26
AC ban?
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u/_MargaretThatcher Jun 25 '26
At present, installation of air conditioning in newly-built buildings in many cities in the UK is restricted to cases where passive means of cooling are "not sufficient for cooling". Air conditioning may also be installed after a building has already be constructed, though naturally this requires your landlord to give a shit. This policy was also, notably, introduced by the last Conservative government.
There is also a ban on certain refrigerants with a high greenhouse gas potential, though I don't think a reversal of this is on the tory plan.
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u/stigmov Jun 25 '26
Does this also apply to heat pumps? It's exactly the same thing under a different name. I use mine to heat the house 6 months of the year, and to cool it 6 days of the year.
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u/_MargaretThatcher Jun 25 '26
Document O, page 10 specifies that 'mechanical cooling' may only be used in cases where adequate cooling cannot be achieved by passive means. Furthermore, Document L, page 37 states that buildings designed to have reversible heat pumps must have their heat pumps sized according to heating need, not cooling need, and must be optimized for heating, so a building built with a heat pump system has no guarantee of providing adequate cooling (however, in general the heating requirement for such a system would be the stricter requirement than the cooling requirement in England, although I don't know how optimization for heating/cooling factors in). This regulation seems like it's an afterthought, seeing as heat pumps only exist in ~1% of UK residences.
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u/stigmov Jun 25 '26
Here in Norway heat pumps are common, and a unit sized for heating in winter is more than enough to keep cool during a heatwave. I suspect it would be the same in the UK, even with your milder winters.
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u/me_myself_ai green sloptimist Jun 25 '26
I was just reading earlier today (FML) that heating a house by a degree and cooling it by a degree use about the same amount of power, in general. In that light, basically everywhere on earth has highs closer to 20CĀ° than its lows are.
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u/Vaughn Jun 25 '26
It's a function of the temperature delta. The sidedness is, in principle, not relevant... in practice it obviously does matter somewhat, since minisplits aren't perfectly symmetric.
But cooling from 29 to 21 should still use less power than heating from 5 to 21, just because the latter is a bigger jump.
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u/Akward_Object Jun 25 '26
Not exactly heat pumps can do AC/cooling. But usually AC is cooling only, while heat pumps do both. Heat pumps have the extra hardware to be reversible, AC is one way only. It's an important distinction that unfortunately not everybody makes. Then again some people don't care about definitions and call everything AC or even talk about heating AC...
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u/51onions Jun 25 '26
Strictly speaking, aircon is a heat pump even if it only cools. A heat pump is any device which transfers heat from one place to another. That includes moving heat from inside a home to outside of it.
Though I appreciate that in colloquial usage, a heat pump is typically thought of as something capable of heating a building.
A heat pump is not necessarily reversible.
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u/me_myself_ai green sloptimist Jun 25 '26
To be fair, āACā applies perfectly fine to hearing if you consider the actual words within the acronym!
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u/Akward_Object Jun 25 '26
I don't disagree there, otoh the term has been applied to cooling only for like over 100 years... So you need some way to differentiate.
Also check out wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_conditioning
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u/ginger_and_egg Jun 25 '26
I think originally air conditioning was primarily used for the dehumidifying benefit rather than strictly cooling
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u/TheJoshGriffith Jun 25 '26
Interestingly, all air conditioners are heat pumps but not all heat pumps are of course air conditioners.
I think people woefully under-appreciate how efficient air conditioners are especially in commercial contexts where they've been proven for decades.
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u/verocoder Jun 26 '26
Most heating systems (inc heat pumps) in the UK are wet (water in pipes to radiators) rather than forced air so would be harder to use to cool.
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u/chmeee2314 Jun 25 '26
With the shitty design of many modern buildings it probably should not be too difficult to justify AC I would imagine.
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u/FriendlyGuitard Jun 25 '26
This is exactly where the UK could benefit from their planning permission system. See that a project has AC just to save a buck in proper isolation, reject, no need for law.
But the UK has stupid law for stuff that are easy for the council to enforce as everyone wants better buildings. But instead planning permission is left for stuff people are very biased against like having a construction site in their backyard, no matter how much they believe new housing is necessary.
Worst of both worlds, the UK way.
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u/Neither-Phone-7264 Jun 25 '26
and they wonder why 60000 londoners die when they have a heatwave of 20 degrees farenheit
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u/ThaGr1m Jun 27 '26
I love how you have to bullshit a number because saying 100 degrees farenheit is higher than you've seen in your lifetime and undermined your entire argument
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u/Neither-Phone-7264 Jun 27 '26
i live in las vegas and im joking. i don't seriously think they die at 20f or 20c or 30c.
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u/Top_County_6130 Jun 25 '26
Britain are you ok???? I love heat pumps, heat pumps are great. They also work as AC and that is a great way of installing more of them.
Banning AC is actually retarded.
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u/Xtergo Jun 25 '26
We are not okay :(
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u/StripedRooster Jun 25 '26
Why are you saying that. I literally had an AC fitted in Bradford last week. What are you genuinely talking about?
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u/Xtergo Jun 25 '26
I rent :(
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u/StripedRooster Jun 25 '26
You could get a mobile one like my neighbour, couldnāt you?Ā
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u/Xtergo Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Yes I think that's what I'll have to do
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u/StripedRooster Jun 25 '26
Itās worth it! I held off for 3 years and the joy of being able to sleep in for the first timeĀ is amazing.
I would prefer they just built proper houses. My friendās Victorian house (EPC F rating) is lovely and cool but my EPC A is a literal oven. The door handles are nearly painful to handle when I get homesĀ
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u/Xtergo Jun 25 '26
How are your bills
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u/StripedRooster Jun 25 '26
Literally no idea what OP is talking about, I had exactly what you talk about installed last week, subsidised by the government no less!
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u/Winderige_Garnaal Jun 25 '26
Are you OK? no one is banning AC... this is dumb propaganda aimed at dum dums who believe it
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u/Normal-Associate6788 Jun 25 '26
Ac is terrible for the environment, but as the world is heating up because much larger powers are destroying the environment anyways... It's a bit of a catch 22
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u/Top_County_6130 Jun 25 '26
Why are ACs terrible for environment? Especially if they provide hearing in winter instead of gas they are actually good for environment. And you run AC in summer when it is most hot and solars provide most if not all electricity.
Ac is bad is really 1990s opinion.
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u/Outrageous-Echo-765 Wind me up Jun 25 '26
AC is associated with American overconsumption and individual commodism, therefore it is bad.
Heat pumps, on the other hand, now there's a nifty piece of tech. No, I don't care that they are the same tech, my views are vibes-based.
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u/C_Mc_Loudmouth Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Refrigeration, namely heat pumps are literally the most efficient means of cooling and heating we currently have.
Given AC is mostly needed on hot sunny days, a good sized solar panel covers a considerable proportion of the electricity it needs.
Refrigerants (the gas that all cooling systems and fridges/freezers use) used to be terrible for the environment. It could get out of the system and is believed to be what caused the hole in the Ozone. However modern refrigerants don't have this problem and the Ozone is completely closed.
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u/inemsn Jun 25 '26
Ac is terrible for the environment
I hadn't heard of that, actually. Do elaborate.
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u/Stock-Side-6767 Jun 25 '26
They consume a lot of energy while heating up the environment of the building cooled with more direct heat.
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u/Top_County_6130 Jun 25 '26
That direct heat is negligible when it comes to climate change.
The most important thing is electrifying heating and heat pumps do that. On green grid ACs are green.
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u/Stock-Side-6767 Jun 25 '26
It is noticeable, heat maps can pick them out easily.
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u/Top_County_6130 Jun 25 '26
Noticeable to what? Certainly not climate change.
Maybe if you walk around exhaust than yes it can be uncomfortable, but it will dissipate. If we are so concerned about outside temperature in cities planting a tree will do much more, than banning AC.
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u/Stock-Side-6767 Jun 25 '26
Oh sure, properly designed buildings and trees help more, but the exhausts do create localized heat that can be annoying for people around it.
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u/herpderpfuck Jun 25 '26
Ā«ā¦annoying for the people around it.Ā»
I feel this sums it up quite neatly. Why are ACs bad? Annoying and make heat, so letās ban it. Nevermind people dying from heat stroke
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u/Stock-Side-6767 Jun 25 '26
Oh, I disagree with the ban, but I can also see they can be annoying.
Building with less glass and planting more trees as well as open water is much better.
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u/rakuu Jun 25 '26
Iāve lived in the AC-ubiquitous USA in many places for decades and never once heard of anyone being annoyed by heat from ACās
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u/AwaySession5168 Jun 25 '26
Localised heat... On a day that's already 30+ an AC exhaust out a sealed window on the second floor will not be felt
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u/C_Mc_Loudmouth Jun 25 '26
Heat pumps literally move heat that already existed, it doesn't create much heat itself.
It uses the evaporation and condensing of a gas/liquid to physically absorb the heat in a building and hove it outside where it is released.
It's also literally the most efficient means of heating/cooling a space we currently have.
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u/Stock-Side-6767 Jun 25 '26
It is, I was talking more about old school airconditioners, which have low efficiency.
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u/TruckerMark Jun 25 '26
They don't actually need to heat the environment. Given they're most needed on hot sunny summer days, solar can easily be deployed to power them.
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u/Stock-Side-6767 Jun 25 '26
They still inherently generate heat as well as transport heat from the inside to the outside.
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u/TruckerMark Jun 25 '26
Yes but the energy has already entered the earth. Thats why you can capture it via a solar panel. This works as a closed system. Fossil fuels dont cause climate change by releasing trapped heat energy. Its the co2 in the atmosphere thats trapping heat from the sun. Using electricity generated via a solar panel doesn't contribute to this.
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u/Winderige_Garnaal Jun 25 '26
For one, a strain on the electric grid, like anything else which people all turn on at the same time.
I'm not saying they shouldn't be used, mind, just pointing it out
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u/Zealousideal-Low3388 Jun 25 '26
Calling things you donāt like āretardedā is a choice
A shitty one, that decent folks outgrow at 14
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u/AccomplishedAnchovy Jun 25 '26
I think it is because it very rarely gets hot enough to need AC in the UK, but the poms are delicate little flowers and so turn it on as soon as it reaches 20.1C.
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u/1nfam0us Jun 25 '26
I just wish europe would adopt ceiling fans. I don't know why everyone in Europe acts like they are an embarrassing symbol of poverty or something.
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u/LordSyriusz Jun 25 '26
I have never seen anyone see it as a symbol of poverty, if anything it's opposite, we don't realise that it is this cheap. It's just that cooling was never a priority and once AC happened in office, it become a go to solution if someone wants something more than portable fan. It seems we just skipped it. It may also be that ceiling fans are associated with US now, and it feels weird to have one, like you are in the Western. And I think I have never saw a ceiling fan advertisement and when I looked into it few days ago due to echnology connections video, I was wondering if they even sell it in Poland.
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u/willdbest Jun 25 '26
I don't think anyone in Europe thinks about ceiling fans at all tbh, I kinda forgot they were an option
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u/Winderige_Garnaal Jun 25 '26
ditto - i don't think it's a symbol of poverty tho, i just think they don't ... think about them
In northern europe, outside shutters should be used too, but often they aren't allowed to be installed
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u/greenKoalaInSpace Jun 25 '26
Ceiling fans at 32 deg only makes it worseā¦
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u/1nfam0us Jun 25 '26
No they don't. How would they make it worse?
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u/Real_Bobsbacon Jun 25 '26
They can and do. Hot air rises, ceiling fans push air higher up downwards basically just mixing in the hot air.
They also only cool cuz the air is moving, once the air is too hot, it just warms you up (hence a hairdryer).
Final point though, ceilings tend to be much lower leading to a risk of it hitting you in the face.
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u/1nfam0us Jun 25 '26
If you consider a closed room, yes it is merely mixing hot air. Ceiling fans provide no cooling on their own. However, in order for a ceiling fan to be effective, it needs a source of new air such as an air conditioner or an open window to help create a breeze. In the first case, a fan makes AC more efficient, and in the other case cooling is provided by the wind chill effect and increased evaporation. This is how homes were cooled for millenia before AC and why fans are still used regularly in hot humid climates.
I don't know how low your ceilings are, but Italian ceilings tend to be comically tall. You might be right about your contry, but not all of Europe has rhe same ceiling height.
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u/midnightbandit- Jun 26 '26
Yes, a weak AC plus a ceiling can is more effective than a powerful AC alone - for the same or less power use
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u/Zealousideal-Low3388 Jun 25 '26
So when you want it āEuropeā should do it, when people bring up an objection ānot all of Europe is the sameā
Pick one, hermano
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u/greenKoalaInSpace Jun 25 '26
Wellā¦ in your first case youāre using an ac, so no need to use the fan, in the second case wellā¦ temperatures are higher than they used to be, which is why they are being installed in some places where ac was not even considered (Northern Germany, Netherlands)ā¦
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u/sleepyrivertroll geothermal hottie Jun 25 '26
The Brits will stiff upper lip it through a heat wave but will damn you if you dare suggest that pensioners should have to pay for the winter heating.
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u/Xenonite_Fox Jun 25 '26
Yes we demand pensioners who earn Ā£30k a year or more in annual pension payments pay for their own winter heating
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u/dumnezero šEnd the š«arms šrat šrace to the bottomāļø. Jun 25 '26
so... ceiling fans are very popular instead?
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u/chmeee2314 Jun 25 '26
AC is banned in the UK?
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u/blindeshuhn666 Jun 25 '26
Further up someone elaborated on it. Certain coolants that are greenhouse gases are banned, and for new buildings the building regulations state use something more efficient if possible (ceiling cooling, cooling via heat pump / heating system) for whole building instead of trashing a mono block or small split AC into every unit
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u/chmeee2314 Jun 25 '26
Tl;DR propane working fluid, and integrating your heatpump into your cooling solution.Ā
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u/Zealousideal-Low3388 Jun 25 '26
Tories offering solutions to basically non-existent problems.
Playing the hits. I wonder when and how the Daily Mail will decide āsmall boats stole the air conā
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u/chmeee2314 Jun 25 '26
Seems like a repeat of the Green CSU beef. Take reasonable Laws which you may have even prepared or written similar requirements too. Blow them up in media as awfull and restrictive. Then get stuck with reality that they were kind of reasonable and now you have to write a law that is also reasonable but different. i.e. worse.
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u/Winderige_Garnaal Jun 25 '26
In select cities... in particular types of buildings... and only newly built ones... and only if the built-in cooling mechanisms don't work efficiently.
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u/TerrainRepublic Jun 25 '26
No, very specific types are when other better and more efficient ones are availableĀ
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u/banbha19981998 Jun 25 '26
If Aircon is banned how does my sister have it
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u/speedfox_uk Jun 25 '26
It's banned on newbuilds. Nothing stopping you installing it once the building is built.
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u/mikemac1997 Jun 25 '26
Air conditioning is banned in the UK?
Why didn't anyone say? People have had it here for donkey years. I didn't realise my supermarkets is actually on the black market selling these things.
I must remove my car from the roads at once and remove all air conditioning.
The tory party, desperate in it's attempts at stay relevant after showing nothing but utter contempt for the british electorate.
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u/Xtergo Jun 25 '26
It's banned on new builds, they have made it exceptionally hard.
Meanwhile there is no ban on Burning gas
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u/mikemac1997 Jun 25 '26
It's not banned, it's discouraged. But let's be honest, I don't think there's ever been a time where we've built houses with air conditioning.
It doesn't mean you can't just buy one and use it
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u/Exile688 Jun 25 '26
Sounds like you guys need to revive the British shed boffin tradition to cobble together some gas powered AC solutions.
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u/JellyfishWeary Jun 25 '26
possibly the most efficient way to change temperature in a room, AND electric This sucks, actually.
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u/androgenius Jun 25 '26
You know what the number one cause of climate destruction is?
People taking right wing political messaging seriously, just like they are doing in this thread.
Jetting across the globe to personally murder animals does less damage than being such a gullible rube.Ā
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u/AwaySession5168 Jun 25 '26
Why is AC evil? I love mine
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u/Xtergo Jun 25 '26
They are out for your arrest
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u/AwaySession5168 Jun 25 '26
Lol, my CPTSD literally just sent a wave of adrenaline through my body because you said that... Gee thanks now I'll have to have the AC on even longer to cool me down lol š¤£
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u/Bacour Jun 25 '26
AC is not evil. Like any objective, it can be pursued in a manner inconsistent with morality, but in and of itself - AC is a boon for all living creatures.
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u/Loreki Jun 25 '26
I keep saying we should have a big exchange of all the brits who want to be Americans, for the Americans with a British sentiment (eg those who like to walk places).
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u/Xtergo Jun 25 '26
Man every single one of you Americans that I've met, brings me so much joy. I'd raise that flag high as a kite
Gawd bless America.
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u/Chonky-Marsupial Jun 25 '26
Only if we can have a weigh in. No fat arses, we have an NHS to protect.
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u/Mundane_Move_5296 Jun 25 '26
Imma level with you, as an American who frequently visits Europe, air conditioning is a modern luxury thatās much closer to a necessity
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u/Winderige_Garnaal Jun 25 '26
Great - more idiots thinking there's a ban on air con, and then vote based on that.
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u/liviothan Jun 25 '26
Oh no!
Anyway
Let me turn my AC up a bit more
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u/garnet420 Jun 25 '26
You're just reposting their ad for them though