Demand for air conditioning soars as UK gets hotter
This bank holiday weekend’s record-breaking heat is no isolated incident: climate change has made high temperatures of this sort more likely in the UK.
This has resulted in a “boom in air conditioning”, an A/C contractor told Sky News presenter Leah Boleto.
“Our supplier Daikin, for example, has said that sales have gone up year on year 100% from 2020,” Aria Toupchi, director of Debonair Cooling, said.
“This time last year, I was only booked out maybe three or four weeks. Now I’m booked out basically until the end of July, even though I have more vans on the road than before.”
Yet there are complications surrounding costs and installations, Toupchi adds – watch his full comments in the video above.
Britons flock to the beach in Bournemouth
On what’s likely to be the hottest bank holiday ever, locals and tourists alike have been flocking to the seaside.
Beaches on the UK’s southern coast look like they’re full to the brim today, judging by this morning’s pictures…
Temperatures equal all-time May record
It’s official: the all-time May record temperature of 32.8C has been matched for the first time in 82 years.
Temperatures at Bushy Park in Teddington, southwest London, have temporarily reached this milestone, the Met Office reported.
32.8C have previously been measured on three separate occasions in May:
- 1922, Camden Square, Greater London
- 1922, Greenwich, Greater London
- 1944, Tunbridge Wells, Horsham & southeast England
But temperatures will continue to rise and are likely to surpass the previous record, according to the service’s forecasts.
Heat health alerts remain in place across England – with warning to elderly
The UKHSA’s amber heat health alerts remain in place across England, as temperatures continue to soar.
For those areas under the alerts, the public health body warned of “significant impacts” likely across health and social care services.
This included “a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions”.
Areas with an amber heat health alert are:
- East Midlands
- West Midlands
- East of England
- London
- South East
And ones with a yellow alert are:
- North East
- North West
- Yorkshire and The Humber
- South West
The warnings were issued yesterday and are due to end at 5pm on Wednesday 27 May.
What is a heat-health alert?
It is issued during periods when there are high temperatures, which may affect public health.
It currently only applies in England and is aimed at “health and social care professionals and any with a role in reducing the harm extended periods of hot weather can have on health”.
Difference between yellow and amber
Yellow warning alerts cover a range of situations.
It may be issued during periods of heat, which would mainly impact people who are vulnerable, such as elderly people with health conditions.
During a yellow warning, people can still continue with their daily routine, but there may be some minor impacts, such as travel disruptions.
An amber alert is issued when a situation is likely to impact the whole health service, with the potential for the whole population to be at risk.
The Met Office has said that at this point, “a coordinated response is required”.
An amber warning may cause travel delays, rail closures and a potential risk to lives and properties.
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