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Homeowners are being forced to tear out air conditioning from their private properties under climate laws, despite rising temperatures.
Council planning officers ordered residents to remove air-con units over fears they produce too much carbon dioxide, stating they should only be used as a "last resort".
The net zero clampdown is part of building regulations that state "active cooling" should only ever be allowed when all other means of "passive cooling", such as opening windows or using fans, have been exhausted.
The Tories said Britain was being "kept in the dark ages" under a net zero mindset that denies people "modern conveniences that are completely normal in other countries".
Meanwhile, temperatures are forecast to reach as high as 40C this week, with Britain sweltering under a record heatwave that has forced schools to close, brought trains to a halt and led to the Met Office issuing a red "risk-to-life" warning.
The Met Office issued a red 'risk-to-life' warning ahead of the heatwave - Anadolu
The 'cooling hierarchy'
Widely published advice states planning permission is not required to install air-con. However, planning is required in certain situations, such as in conservation areas, and there are different rules for flats, leasehold homes, as well as shared buildings.
It means there is a risk units are installed under the assumption they are permitted, but are later caught by council enforcement officers.
In one of a string of cases uncovered by The Telegraph, a resident living in North London was forced to "permanently remove" two air-con units from the back of their home.
Planning inspectors working for Camden council said there was "no justification" for the air-con units and that they failed to comply with the local authority's so-called "cooling hierarchy".
In an appeal, the resident was told to open the windows and balcony doors of their first-floor flat to ventilate the property "by natural means".
Their concerns about security were dismissed, with inspectors saying the risk was not "as great as those associated with ground floor windows" and that the windows could be shut at night.
Planning documents stated that "the main issue" of concern for inspectors was whether the "need for active cooling is justified, with particular regard to local policies" on energy.
Another resident was ordered to remove three air-con units from their property, despite complying with all planning requirements.
Camden council planning inspectors made "particular note" of the "absence of ceiling fans" in their home, even though it was not listed as a requirement.
Despite inspectors finding that they were "neither intrusive nor harmful" to the character of the local area, the resident was told to rip out the units.
They were eventually allowed to keep the air-con on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate – in spite of the council's strict climate tests – by demonstrating that the property already had numerous eco upgrades such as solar panels.
Air-con engineers told The Telegraph that they had been called out to remove perfectly operational units worth thousands of pounds across London.
Rules adapted from Khan's 'London Plan'
Residents of the capital are particularly at risk from strict enforcement of the building regulations, with councils enshrining rules adapted from Sir Sadiq Khan's "London Plan" into their own local authority plans.
The London Mayor's 2021 plan states that "new development in London should also be designed to avoid the need for energy intensive air conditioning systems as much as possible".
Local authority plans such as Camden's use even stronger language, saying they will actively "discourage the use of air conditioning" because of concerns it increases "demand for energy" and makes "the local micro-climate hotter".
Other London councils have also attempted to restrict the use of air-con on climate grounds, including Islington, which says it "must only be considered as a last resort".
These go further than the wording in the national building regulations, which say "passive cooling" options such as shading windows should be prioritised before air-con is considered.
The Tories claimed that these regulations amounted to an effective "ban" on air-con, especially in new-build developments, and that the laws should be scrapped.
Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said: "It is totally bonkers for council bureaucrats to block people from installing air conditioning because it uses too much energy.
"This is exactly why we must repeal the mad building regulations that force councils to care more about box-ticking and process than letting people keep their homes cool in the summer.
"We have to get out of this miserabilist net zero mindset which says that Britain alone has to stay stuck in the dark ages and can't enjoy the modern conveniences that are completely normal in other countries."
Another Camden resident was forced to remove three air-con units from her home, in part because she lived in a conservation area.
However, concerns that the units "comprised the adoption of appropriate climate change adaptation measures" were listed first in the main issues of an appeal against the enforcement.
The effect of noise on neighbours was second, and the effect on the conservation area third.
The homeowner offered to clad the air-con unit to make it more visibly appealing, but planning officers dismissed her appeal, saying she was still in breach of the climate rules.
Most British homes without air-con
Estimates suggest that as few as 3pc of British homes have air-con, compared with 90pc in the US, with the question of whether to allow air-con fast becoming a point of contention on the Left.
The Climate Change Committee said there was a need for air-con in care homes, schools and hospitals as temperatures rise, in apparent contrast to the official government position.
Last week, Labour resisted calls to reform building regulations, saying they reflected "the Government's commitment to improving energy efficiency".
A government spokesman said they were reviewing planning regulations for new homes to ensure that they were effective and proportionate.
They added: "Air conditioning units are not banned. They can be installed in both existing and new homes and we expect councils to take a common-sense approach to the rules around this, which are there to manage the interests of communities and the environment."
A Camden council spokesman said its planning policies prioritised "simpler, low-energy ways of keeping homes cool".
They added: "Residents seeking planning permission need to demonstrate that alternative, more climate-friendly measures are not suitable, and that units will not create noise or other harmful impacts on neighbours.
"Enforcement action in these cases is rare and used only as a last resort where this guidance has not been followed."
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said the rules helped "keep homes cooler without relying on energy-intensive solutions", adding that "local planning decisions are the responsibility of the boroughs, who have their own policies in place".
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