Britain's New Climate Inequality: Why Staying Cool Is Becoming A Class Privilege

As Britain gets hotter, staying cool is becoming easier for some households than others. New research suggests that access to relief from extreme heat is increasingly being shaped by income, geography and housing, pointing to what researchers describe as a growing "cooling divide".

Britain's warming climate is changing more than how people experience summer. It is also exposing inequalities in who can adapt. While residential air conditioning remains uncommon, the households that can afford it are increasingly concentrated among higher-income families, homeowners and residents of the country's warmer regions. Research reported by PTI suggests the trend is raising wider questions about whether protection from dangerous heat could become another form of climate inequality.

The findings are based on data from the English Housing Survey, a nationally representative sample of around 16,000 households, alongside in-depth interviews with air conditioning users across the UK.

What is Britain's emerging 'cooling divide'?

At first glance, air conditioning remains uncommon in England. Only 4.3 per cent of households use it during summer, far below countries such as the United States, where nearly 90 per cent of households have air conditioning, and Australia, where the figure is around 75 per cent.

But the national figure masks sharp differences in who has access to cooling.

Instead of spreading across society at a similar pace, air conditioning is becoming concentrated among households that are better placed to adapt to rising temperatures. According to the analysis reported by PTI, London and the east of England record the highest levels of residential air conditioning, followed by the East Midlands and the south-east, while northern regions remain much less likely to use cooling.

Geography explains part of the picture. London experiences warmer summers and a stronger urban heat island effect, where buildings and hard surfaces trap heat long after sunset. But climate alone does not explain the pattern. The findings suggest that the ability to adapt to rising temperatures is also closely linked to where people live and the resources they have.

Income deepens that divide. Households in the highest income group are more than twice as likely to own air conditioning as those in the lowest income group. Installing and running it remains expensive, making cooling far more accessible to wealthier households, many of whom are concentrated in London and the south-east.

The interviews conducted as part of the study also offer insight into why people are installing air conditioning. Participants rarely described it as a luxury. Instead, they spoke about trying to sleep through hot nights, remain productive while working the next day, or protect babies or elderly relatives from dangerously high temperatures.

Who is most at risk from Britain's cooling divide?

One of the most significant findings is that several groups most vulnerable to heat continue to have relatively low access to air conditioning.

Older people, lone-parent households and many lower-income families are among those least likely to use it despite facing greater health risks during periods of extreme heat. Social and private renters also lag behind owner-occupiers, reflecting barriers such as upfront costs, landlord permissions and practical constraints on installation.

Even so, the findings also point to some signs of adaptation.

Households with babies, young children, disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions are all more likely to use air conditioning than the wider population. Given the well-established health risks that high temperatures pose for these groups, the findings suggest many households are taking proactive steps to protect their health.

But greater access to cooling creates another problem. Air conditioning uses large amounts of electricity, meaning vulnerable families may find themselves facing a difficult choice between staying cool and keeping their energy bills affordable.

For years, fuel poverty in the UK has largely been associated with heating homes during winter. The study suggests that a new form of "summer fuel poverty" may already be beginning to emerge, with cooling becoming another essential household expense during extreme weather.

Why is working from home changing the demand for cooling?

The rise of hybrid working is also changing how households experience extreme heat.

Households where someone works from home at least two days each week were 42 per cent more likely to have air conditioning.

Before the pandemic, many people spent the hottest part of the day in air-conditioned workplaces such as offices. Hybrid working has shifted that exposure into the home. Increasingly, homes are expected to function not only as places to live but also as workplaces during periods of extreme heat, creating fresh demand for cooling.

Can Britain adapt without relying on more air conditioning?

The implications extend well beyond individual households. A rise in residential air conditioning would increase electricity demand during summer and place greater pressure on energy networks. Unless that electricity comes from zero-carbon sources, higher cooling demand could also lead to higher emissions, creating a cycle in which hotter summers drive even greater dependence on air conditioning.

That is why the researchers argue that the answer is not simply installing more air conditioning. Instead, they call for a national cooling plan centred on keeping homes cool naturally through measures such as external shading, shutters and more trees in urban areas. Where air conditioning is essential, particularly for vulnerable households, support should be targeted to those who need it most.

Research reported by PTI suggests Britain is only at the beginning of its shift towards a hotter climate. The bigger question is whether access to protection from extreme heat remains a basic necessity available to everyone, or gradually becomes another divide shaped by income, postcode and housing.