Households in England with air conditioning risk having to rip them out after a council order, amid a 40C heatwave. Council planning officers have ordered residents to remove air-con units over fears they produce too much carbon dioxide. The net zero clampdown is part of building regulations that state "active cooling" should only ever be allowed when all other means of "passive cooling" have been exhausted.
Political Backlash Over Net Zero Rules
The Conservative Party MP Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, criticised the move. "It is totally bonkers for council bureaucrats to block people from installing air conditioning because it uses too much energy," she said. "This is exactly why we must repeal the mad building regulations that force councils to care more about box-ticking and process than letting people keep their homes cool in the summer. We have to get out of this miserabilist net zero mindset which says that Britain alone has to stay stuck in the dark ages and can’t enjoy the modern conveniences that are completely normal in other countries."
Labour's Response
Labour, though, said: "Air conditioning units are not banned. They can be installed in both existing and new homes and we expect councils to take a common-sense approach to the rules around this, which are there to manage the interests of communities and the environment."
Camden Council's Stance
A Camden council spokesman said its planning policies prioritised "simpler, low-energy ways of keeping homes cool." They added: "Residents seeking planning permission need to demonstrate that alternative, more climate-friendly measures are not suitable, and that units will not create noise or other harmful impacts on neighbours. Enforcement action in these cases is rare and used only as a last resort where this guidance has not been followed."
Impact on Households
Households in North London were ordered to rip up A/C units by Camden Council. The Tories said Britain was being "kept in the dark ages" under a net zero mindset that denies people "modern conveniences that are completely normal in other countries."
