EDITOR’S OPINION: It’s time to take cooling seriously

1 September 2025

Provisional Met Office statistics have confirmed that this year’s summer was the warmest on record for the UK. The mean temperature from the beginning of June to the end of August was recorded at 16.10°C, which is 1.51°C above the long-term meteorological average and surpasses the previous record of 15.76°C, set in 2018. It also pushes 1976 out of the top five warmest summers and means that the UK’s five warmest summers have all occurred since 2000.

Most of us probably don’t need meteorological statistics to confirm that the last few months have, at times, been uncomfortably hot. Not so bad for those out with a bucket and spade by the seaside, but for others required to commute on public transport, perform deskbound duties or work outside in high temperatures, the warmth of the sun can only have been viewed as a decidedly mixed blessing. This summer’s extreme temperatures have also highlighted just how prone many of our buildings are to overheating – which not only results in a high level of discomfort for many people but also presents a serious health risk for more vulnerable occupants.

As covered in this month’s issue (see page 6), the Building Engineering Services Association has responded to such concerns by calling for urgent action to tackle the growing number of UK buildings that overheat. BESA argues that overheating should be considered as part of the wider building safety regime, pointing out that the addition of fire-resistant insulation is only exacerbating the issue, so investment in effective ventilation and cooling needs also to be prioritised.

Given that scorching summer temperatures have only started to occur in recent years, perhaps it’s not too surprising that successive governments have been more concerned with regulating the heating requirements of buildings than worrying about developing any kind of cooling strategy. But the strain put on electricity supplies by more widespread use of air conditioning units is already causing issues in much of Europe and, given the rise in demand for AC systems in the UK, could well start to cause problems closer to home.

More environmentally friendly alternatives – such as cement that prevents buildings from absorbing heat and paint that is capable of reflecting the sun’s rays – may provide commercially available solutions in the not-too-distant future, but in the meantime our more volatile climate does present the government with an opportunity to overcome some of the widespread negative coverage about heat pump technology.

Air-to-air heat pumps, which look likely to be included within the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, can of course be used for cooling as well as heating, while an air-to-water heat pump can be used to pass chilled water through an underfloor heating system. Their viability for non-domestic applications may currently be limited, but the market invariably finds a way to meet demand – especially when it is set to rise as steeply as our summertime temperatures.

Chris Jones is managing editor of EIBI