UK residents told to remove air conditioning to comply with regulations Sky News

[SheltieLover]

?si=KoYC6MFOw4JWZLrF

[hlthe2b]

1. I can't watch right now. What are the regulations prohibiting? No A/C units at all?

[SheltieLover]

2. Sorry, not sure

Gs has seen it on other sites, too. Apparently, AC units are deemed "excessive," and ordered to remove them. Sounds like something they just decided to make up & start enforcing.

Data centers are gobbling up power there, too...

Hopefully, some Brits will chime in with more specifics. 🤞

[hlthe2b]

5. France and the UK have been experiencing record heat so this is... something!

[SheltieLover]

7. Yes & from what I gather, ai data centers are gobbling up electricity!

[FarPoint]

3. Is Buckingham Palace compliant with the no Aircon units?

I image that England lacks the electrial grid system to hand such an increase of power demands to run the AC units...

[SheltieLover]

4. I'm sure the "royals" have AC.

Right, I don't think their grid can handle the demand. Yet, somehow it's individual citizens apparently being targeted, rather than ai data centers!

[okaawhatever]

14. King Charles and Camilla aren't going to live in B. Palace. nt

[Shellback Squid]

6. My sister said she will be getting one, she lives in Cambridge, I'll ask her

[SheltieLover]

8. Ty! Pls let us know?

🙏

[pat_k]

9. Only applies to non-permitted installations in conservation areas that enforce "cooling hierarchy"

Seems no more restrictive than the requirements under the terms of my lease. If I violated the lease with an outdoor compressor, they would CERTAINLY ask me to remove it and would have the right to terminate my lease if I failed to comply.

From Gemini

The London "Cooling Hierarchy"

Under regional planning policy and Camden's specific Local Plan Policy CC2, homeowners and developers must demonstrate that they have exhausted all passive and low-energy options before installing air conditioning:

Level 1 (Top Priority): Limit heat entering the building (e.g., exterior shading, window films, heavy curtains).

Level 2: Passive design and natural ventilation (e.g., openable windows, cross-ventilation, ceiling fans).

Level 3: Mechanical, low-energy cooling (e.g., MVHR or cooled ventilation systems).

Level 4 (Bottom Priority): Active refrigeration/conventional air conditioning.

Why Conservation Areas Make It Tougher

While some standard homes can install external compressors under national permitted development rules, these rights are heavily restricted or removed in conservation areas.

Visibility Restrictions: Units generally cannot be placed on principal elevations or any wall that fronts a highway.

Justification Burden: Planning inspectors require robust proof that passive cooling measures are inadequate to keep the dwelling at a safe temperature.

Noise Constraints: External condensers must comply with strict noise limits (e.g., typically 10 dB below background noise levels).

Permitted Alternatives & Next Steps

If your application for a traditional wall-mounted condenser fails the cooling hierarchy test, there are alternative options that do not require external modifications:

Water-Cooled Air Conditioning: These self-contained systems sit entirely indoors and utilize your existing mains water supply to reject heat, bypassing external unit restrictions.

Air-Source Heat Pumps: If you install a reversible heat pump that handles both heating and cooling, it may sometimes qualify for different permitted development rights depending on the exact mounting.

[GrapesOfWrath]

10. This makes sense to me

Video shows what appears to be a bunch of right wing Brits

[pat_k]

13. Made sense to me too.

I don't like being lazy with AI, but the AI summary seemed pretty straightforward and a peak at source links seemed to confirm.

There could be more to it, or some recent change not captured, but given the source -- Sky News -- I'd bet what is happening is reasonable.

It's kind of a general rule: Don't install things on your property until you know they are permitted.

And furthermore, there are very few regulatory changes that force people to get rid of something -- whether an AC or a gas stove -- that was allowed when they installed it.

[msongs]

11. sky news australia is a sewer nt

[Boo1]

12. Hard to imagine this is true

But if it is the people in charge in the UK need to fire the people who said it.