We are in the middle of a Climate Change heatwave at present, daytime temps are up to 36°C plus (at my UK location now ~33°C inside), some locations have been warned of 40°C. Night time temperatures cool very slowly to around 22°C at dawn giving everyone an uncomfortable night. By 9am the pleasant start to the day is just a memory, the Sun relentlessly hammering down on us until Sunset.
In the UK we don't have home AC, it's very rare to have it over here because up to now we simply haven't needed it! I think we'll be looking at one or two room coverage from now on, maybe with portable units as backup/flexibility.
To most Americans where they live the above temperatures are to be expected, far from unusual, however we are just learning that our houses are primarily built to retain heat, making life very difficult for us at present.
In the UK we don't have home AC, it's very rare to have it over here because up to now we simply haven't needed it! I think we'll be looking at one or two room coverage from now on, maybe with portable units as backup/flexibility.
To most Americans where they live the above temperatures are to be expected, far from unusual, however we are just learning that our houses are primarily built to retain heat, making life very difficult for us at present.
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In the 1920's and 1930's many American homes were built for good ventilation and airflow. Homes with things like extended eaves, tall windows, transom windows over doors. These design features were incorporated because home air conditioning wasn't around yet. Europe around the time was still generally cooler (temp wise) than the U.S. so they didn't need such features. As anyone who's done it retrofitting a house with central AC is a pita. Our house doesn't have AC so we take steps when it gets cookin'. The more sunlight kept out during the day the less solar gain we get. Windows open at night get closed before the outside temps climb. Fans and ceiling fans stirr the air to help make it comfortable. Row houses which make up a lot of housing stock around here and many people have put white soe silver colored coatings on their roofs also to cut down on heat gain from the sun beaming down. Passive and active venting of attic and above seiling spaces cuts down on heat transferred into living spaces too. I don't know if any of this can help our friends on the other side of the pond but desperate times call for desperate measures.
(and for the further recommendation). 
