Indoor ‘feels-like’ heat soars to 52 degrees in Hong Kong subdivided homes: study

A recent survey has revealed that indoor temperatures in subdivided flats and rooftop huts in Hong Kong have soared to a scorching 52.21 degrees Celsius (126 Fahrenheit) this summer, significantly hotter than the average July temperature of 28.7 degrees. Conducted by CarbonCare InnoLab and the Concerning Subdivided Units Alliance, the study surveyed 86 households across nine districts between June and July, with the majority (78) living in inadequate housing.

Of those surveyed, 80 percent of homemakers reported experiencing dizziness, headaches, fatigue, and other heat-related symptoms, with 70 percent noting that their sleep quality had been affected. The survey found that families living in inadequate housing paid an average of HK$3.90 per square foot in electricity charges, nearly double the HK$1.90 paid by public flat tenants.

One 58-year-old security guard, Liu Qingzhu, spent more than HK$1,000 on electricity during the summer, accounting for about 10 percent of her monthly income. She shared a tin-roofed rooftop home with a flatmate and said she had to endure the extreme heat with a metal roof, which she found unbearable. The groups behind the study are calling for urgent action, including mandatory insulation, shading, ventilation, and cooling equipment as part of the minimum living standards for basic housing units, as well as energy subsidies for tenants living in inadequate housing.