One thing comes to my mind as I read things like this, (and as you know the UK isn't escaping it at all).... air con.
The whole country is buying/ installing/ using fans and air conditioning units. Doesn't seem to be an issue on the surface but then think about it.
Before such a heatwave the UK would have a few days a month where it was 'too hot'. Only shops and plush offices etc had aircon. Power spikes were irregular.
The power being sucked up in the UK currently must be enormous. The thing is we still don't have a completely environmentally friendly power grid. So this extra drain must be increasing the output of nasties into the air. Plus countries manufacturing these items have increased sales and so pump out pollutants to make more. Surely the longer that goes on the more counterproductive it is to our wellbeing.
We're kinda doing exactly what we shouldnt because we've already been doing what we shouldnt to get here in the first place. Governments and higher industry really do need to wake up. More enviro friendly power AND products. I wished I could afford a Tesla roof for the house. Photovoltaic roof tiles to pay for my one meagre fan to run or a full aircon system. .. either way until governments enforce such design to be incorporated into daily life we will keep eating up electricity to keep us cool from the heatwave caused - in part - by us eating up electricity.