London in August- A/C needed in apt?
Jan 29th, 2017, 06:59 AM
#1
London in August- A/C needed in apt?
None of the apts we have found in London for an August rental have a/c. Will that be a problem? We have been without it in other areas but cities tend to be warmer. The projected temperatures for our dates are mid to high 70s but what about humidity? Thanks for your insight.
Jan 29th, 2017, 07:22 AM
#2
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You'll spend a long time looking for a flat with air con. Few residential properties have a/c - that in itself tells you about the necessity of a/c in London - it's rarely a consideration.
That's not to say you won't have some warm nights. I wouldn't sweat the small stuff!
That's not to say you won't have some warm nights. I wouldn't sweat the small stuff!
Jan 29th, 2017, 07:34 AM
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Yes, the only air-conditioning we have is to open the window. Or hang around the freezer cabinets in a supermarket.
If it ever gets that hot, that is - and if it does you can be reasonably confident it won't last for long.
If it ever gets that hot, that is - and if it does you can be reasonably confident it won't last for long.
Jan 29th, 2017, 10:56 AM
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It's not the heat; it's the humidity. I'm sure you've heard that. I don't know where the OP is from but our bodies adapt, either in a positive or negative manner to what we are used to. Although the temperature might not be all that high, I have been very uncomfortable sometimes in a London hotel room in July and August but then again I'm used to a/c .when the temperature isn't all that high but the humidity is high. But in theory, no, it usually doesn't get hot enough for long in London to necessitate a/c but that is not to say there won't be evenings where you feel a tad uncomfortable. Simply a function of what you're used to.
Jan 29th, 2017, 11:27 AM
#9
If you want a flat -- forget about a/c . . . If you want a/c -- forget about a flat (and most budget hotels).
If a/c is important you will need to stay in a modern, most likely chain, hotel.
Have I ever wished I had a/c in London -- yes a time or two. But I have never once used a/c as a criteria for picking a place to stay (and more often you'll want heat than a/c)
If a/c is important you will need to stay in a modern, most likely chain, hotel.
Have I ever wished I had a/c in London -- yes a time or two. But I have never once used a/c as a criteria for picking a place to stay (and more often you'll want heat than a/c)
Jan 29th, 2017, 11:34 AM
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If you want AC stay in a hotel.
If you want to stay in a flat without AC: don't take the top floor flat. It's allways hotter under the roof. Go for a ground floor flat or a lower ground floor with garden.
If you want to stay in a flat without AC: don't take the top floor flat. It's allways hotter under the roof. Go for a ground floor flat or a lower ground floor with garden.
Jan 30th, 2017, 12:53 PM
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Odds are you won't need it but no one can promise. I was in London one August for the PROMS and it was extremely hot many days, about 90F or more, as I recall. I was glad I had AC. But another time, it was quite cool in August.
so it may or may not be a problem, who can say
so it may or may not be a problem, who can say
Jan 31st, 2017, 02:51 AM
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It's rare for chain hotels to have opening windows, so a/c is almost essential for a couple of months a year in many London hotels - especially since hotel rooms often look out onto a central well, with no natural airflow even if their windows do open.
It's also rare for flats not to have properly openable windows - or to have no windows opening out onto a street or large expanse of greenery. As others have said, a/c is almost unheard of in London residential property: and it's not just our climate, national stoicism and contempt for whingers that make Londoners' complaints about severe heat at home very rare.
So cautionary tales about the undoubted occasional midsummer discomfort from people who've only stayed in hotels really don't tell you much about what it's like in a London house or flat on the rare summer day when heat builds up.
I can remember possibly three or four days in over 30 years of living in central London when heat created discomfort at home that couldn't be solved by opening a window wider. In most cases, the answer was to move to a better ventilated room: on just one night in 1976 did we eventually move our bed into the garden.
The real problem of London in heat is outside the home. On the tube, only the Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and District Lines are adequately cooled.
My personal answer is to avoid other tube lines, walk (in the shade) with adequate hydration if I need to, pre-warn clients I'll be dressed for extreme heat if I have to have a meeting but avoid London altogether if possible on such days. If I need to visit for a play or opera, I choose only theatres with decent a/c. The National's fine: most commercial theatres are hellish.
If you're likely to be sensitive to heat, it's much more important to seek other people's suggestions here about coping outside the house than worry about how effective natural ventilation is likely to be at home.
Don't forget that this stuff about "hottest year ever" is a hysterical media myth: they mean "hottest since formal records began". Back in the 12th century, there's bags of evidence our climate was hotter than today. People survived by relying on sensibly adjusting their behaviour to the heat.
It's also rare for flats not to have properly openable windows - or to have no windows opening out onto a street or large expanse of greenery. As others have said, a/c is almost unheard of in London residential property: and it's not just our climate, national stoicism and contempt for whingers that make Londoners' complaints about severe heat at home very rare.
So cautionary tales about the undoubted occasional midsummer discomfort from people who've only stayed in hotels really don't tell you much about what it's like in a London house or flat on the rare summer day when heat builds up.
I can remember possibly three or four days in over 30 years of living in central London when heat created discomfort at home that couldn't be solved by opening a window wider. In most cases, the answer was to move to a better ventilated room: on just one night in 1976 did we eventually move our bed into the garden.
The real problem of London in heat is outside the home. On the tube, only the Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and District Lines are adequately cooled.
My personal answer is to avoid other tube lines, walk (in the shade) with adequate hydration if I need to, pre-warn clients I'll be dressed for extreme heat if I have to have a meeting but avoid London altogether if possible on such days. If I need to visit for a play or opera, I choose only theatres with decent a/c. The National's fine: most commercial theatres are hellish.
If you're likely to be sensitive to heat, it's much more important to seek other people's suggestions here about coping outside the house than worry about how effective natural ventilation is likely to be at home.
Don't forget that this stuff about "hottest year ever" is a hysterical media myth: they mean "hottest since formal records began". Back in the 12th century, there's bags of evidence our climate was hotter than today. People survived by relying on sensibly adjusting their behaviour to the heat.
