- Temperatures in the UK hit record highs, surpassing 35°C in London this May
- Only 5% of UK homes have air conditioning compared to 37% globally
- A man shared his £2,000 AC purchase from 2022, gaining viral attention online
Temperatures across the UK have been soaring, with the record of the hottest May day broken on consecutive days earlier this week when parts of London surpassed 35 degrees Celsius. The heatwave's impact has been amplified because UK homes are designed to retain heat and lack built-in air conditioning. Only five per cent of British households have air conditioning, compared to 37 per cent of people worldwide, despite half of all UK homes overheating during the summer months, according to a report in the Centre for British Progress. So, when a British man decided to post a pic of his air conditioning unit he "rage bought" during the 2022 heatwave, the internet had a field day.
The user, Lewis, expressed gratitude to his past self for purchasing the £2,000 unit, which he installed in his studio but found powerful enough to cool his entire downstairs area. His post on X (formerly Twitter) garnered significant attention, with users joking that the AC unit is the ultimate status symbol in England and praising his foresight in buying it
"Once again, I must thank my past self for rage buying aircon. During the 2022 heatwave," wrote Lewis as he posted a pic of his Mitsubishi AC's outdoor unit.
Reacting to Lewis' post, a user joked, "My God, it is possible. I was told they won't work in Europe because of special thermodynamics that only affect European insulation," while another added: "The ultimate status symbol in England today."
A third commented: "This is the most competent man in all of the UK. You should become king or something. Past you was a genius. Future you is living the dream right now. Rage buying pays off sometimes!"
A fourth said: "Notice how this guy realised 4 years ago that the heat was a problem and found a solution instead of complaining every year like clockwork."
Check The Viral Post Here:
UK Heatwave
The number of water-related deaths during the UK's recent heatwave has risen to 11. On Monday, a 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty while in a reservoir in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Similarly, at the Kingsbury Water Park in Warwickshire, the body of a teenage girl was recovered in the evening.
The Royal Life Saving Society has urged people to stay safe and warned that "warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings".
The hot weather is expected to continue in the coming days, with the Met Office highlighting that no respite during nighttime hours had exacerbated the situation.
"What makes this event particularly noteworthy is the combination of very high daytime temperatures and persistently warm nights," the Met Office said.
"Typically in Spring, even during warm spells, overnight temperatures fall sufficiently to provide some relief. In this case, that cooling was limited across many parts of the UK."
