One in six people in the UK have taken drastic measures to cope with hot weather, including sleeping in kitchens and gardens, according to Citizens Advice.
The charity said millions of people were struggling to keep their homes cool, with 44% of those surveyed saying they did not feel able to prevent their homes from overheating.
It said some people had slept in unconventional places, including kitchens, gardens and balconies, while others had taken sick leave, unpaid leave or annual leave to cope with the heat. What’s more, some people also paid to stay in hotels.
A further four million people said they had resorted to makeshift ways of keeping cool, including putting foil, cardboard or damp sheets over windows.
Citizens Advice said poorly designed homes and the cost of cooling equipment such as air conditioning were making it harder for people to cope with high temperatures.
Renters were more likely than homeowners to struggle with controlling the temperature in their homes – 51% of tenants said they felt unable to prevent their homes from overheating, compared with 40% of homeowners.
The charity also said around 90,000 people living in properties connected to heat networks couldn’t switch off their central heating during the summer.
Citizens Advice is calling for the government’s Warm Homes Plan to address overheating as well as the cost of heating homes during winter. Chief executive, Dame Clare Moriarty, said: ‘For far too many people, a summer heatwave doesn’t mean enjoying the sun – it means being trapped in a sweltering home with no control over the temperature.’
She said poorly designed housing could become a ‘giant heat trap’ in summer and an ‘ice box’ in winter. With this in mind, the charity is calling for investment in insulation, ventilation and upgrades to older heat networks.
The government is also taking action to better protect tenants experiencing dangerous overheating. A spokesperson said: ‘We are changing the rules so that for the first time ever people can access grants for air-to-air heat pumps, which can cool as well as heat homes.
‘We are already taking action to strengthen protections for tenants experiencing dangerous overheating and ensuring new residential buildings are designed to minimise unwanted heat from the sun.’
Image: Myriams-Fotos
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