Summer heatwave drives workers back to the office

Record July temperatures have been sending workers back into the office as they look to escape London’s lack of air conditioned homes.

With fewer than five per cent of London houses equipped with a fan, one company’s offices saw a 35 per cent uptick in usage in June.

Flexible workspace provider Office Space in Town (OSiT) said its five London locations attracted workers looking for relief from overheated home environments in favour of fully air-conditioned offices.

“As temperatures rise, so does the need for air-conditioned, productive environments,” OSiT co-founder Sarah Singlehurst said.

London – and the UK in general – is uniquely poorly-equipped with air conditioning units, something which is likely to become more of an issue as the length and intensity of heatwaves increase with climate change.

“Air conditioning has been pretty much actively discouraged by the UK government until now,” Andrew Sissons of innovation charity Nesta, told London Centric.

Ventilation is prioritised over air conditioning, with only high-end developers bothering to spend the money to include air-conditioning units.

London is also an old city, with its historic buildings not designed for the challenges of climate change.

TfL temperatures temper journeys into the office

Despite an uptick in office attendance of prime locations, there is a significant issue tempering Londoners’ desire to go into the city: the sweltering tube.

The underground can reach temperatures of up to 40C during a heatwave, with the Victoria line receiving the accolade of the most amount of complaints from commuters (closely followed by the Central line).

Less than half of trains on London’s network have air conditioning.

TfL reported a drop in passenger numbers during the 2022 heatwave, with passengers only advised to travel “if essential”.

But for office workers who live close to one of the cooler lines – Elizabeth or Hammersmith, say – trekking into the office may be a boon this summer.