During June’s heatwaves, several long-standing temperature records were equalled or broken, and it seems like hotter summers are going to be an ongoing trend.
Homes across the UK have become heat traps, as more than a fifth of buildings were constructed before 1919, when the priority was keeping heat in, not out.
For more modern homes, the focus has rightly been on insulation and energy efficiency. The challenge is that these homes are often better at trapping heat and retaining it. Once sunlight passes through glazing and heats internal surfaces, that heat can linger long after the sun has gone down. In flats and highly insulated properties, temperatures can remain uncomfortable well into the night because the heat has nowhere to escape.
This has led British consumers to look for new ways to cool their homes, with many investing in air conditioning units. But air conditioning is not a practical solution for everyone. And it turns out, we may be making our homes hotter without realising. Here, home experts explain some of the ways you’re contributing to a hot home and what you can do to help cool things down.
Shorts
