Research by Citizen’s Advice says that 44% of people feel they have no control over their houses overheating, due to the cost of air con units and other cooling equipment.
This year one in six Brits have taken to sleeping in the kitchen, garden on the balcony or taking unpaid leave to battle the extreme heat.
The study found that people who live in a building with old, gas-run heat networks are the most at risk of overheating due to hot pipework intensifying indoor temperatures.
It also discovered that 90,000 heat network consumers are unable to turn off their central heating during the summer.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said: “We’re now facing a year-round crisis, where poorly designed housing stock is acting as a giant heat trap in summer and as an ice box in winter.
“The Government has a vital opportunity to help fix this through the Warm Homes Plan. By investing in better insulation, ventilation, and heat network upgrades, we can ensure people’s homes are warmer in the winter and safer and cooler in the summer.”
Some Brits have recorded loft temperatures at 40C with many renters unable to open fixed or locked windows.
The organisation is calling for the Government’s Warm Homes Plan to also include support for summer cooling through local fuel poverty schemes or low-interest loans.
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