LSBU's cooling experts cut through as another heatwave hits the UK
As the UK experiences its third heatwave of the summer, two London South Bank University (LSBU) academics have been featured in the national media conversation, giving the public – and journalists – a clear, evidence-based view of how the UK's homes, appliances and infrastructure are coping with the heat.
Dr Alan Foster, Associate Professor in Food Cold Chain Refrigeration, was featured by the BBC discussing why British fridges – many "designed decades ago in a much cooler world" – struggle once temperatures exceed the roughly 32°C they were built to operate within.
His ongoing lab-based testing of domestic and commercial units gave the coverage a strong, evidence-led hook, translating detailed refrigeration research into a clear, relatable story about something in every household: the family fridge.
Professor Graeme Maidment, Professor of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and leader of LSBU's Heating and Cooling research group, was quoted in The Independent explaining why portable air conditioning units are less efficient than fixed ones.
He described how the hose used to expel warm air through an open window heats up and lets some of that warm air flow straight back into the room: "The air that gets pumped out, some of it comes back in, so you're cooling air which you've just heated up."
He added that, for the same energy use, a fixed unit might cool a room from 30°C to 24°C, while a portable unit could only manage 27°C – a sharp, practical insight for anyone weighing up buying an air conditioner this summer.
LSBU as a national leader in heating and cooling research
This latest coverage is part of a much bigger picture. LSBU's Heating and Cooling research group has built a genuine national and international reputation in this field, and Dr Foster and Professor Maidment's media appearances are the visible tip of research that spans food safety, industrial refrigeration, sustainable building design and low-carbon heat networks.
A strong example is IMPACT-F, the Horizon Europe-funded LSBU-led project that is building an open-access platform to help governments and industry tackle F-gases – potent greenhouse gases used across refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps.
Between Dr Foster and Professor Maidment's timely media appearances and the deeper research underpinning projects like IMPACT-F, LSBU continues to be one of the most credible and visible university voices in the UK on the practical and technical realities of keeping the country cool.