This summer’s heatwaves left millions of people losing sleep, paying higher bills and suffering deteriorating health in homes not built to cope with rising temperatures, Citizens Advice has found.
Almost half of people (47%) reported difficulty sleeping as four heatwaves hit the UK this summer, all of which saw temperatures climb above 30C, a survey for the charity found.
Some 13% of people paid higher bills as they tried to keep their homes cool, and 11% experienced their health deteriorating due to struggling to live in homes that were too hot.
Some 14% reported feeling stressed about the impact of heat on themselves or another member of the household, and 8% said the health of a member of the household had been negatively affected.
The poll found one in three Britons (34%) found it difficult to keep their home cool this summer, rising to 40% of renters.
Of these people, one in three (32%) could not afford to use fans or air conditioning.
Some 45% of people reported incurring additional costs due to the hot weather, including on increased energy costs or buying cooling devices, with 7% of people spending more than £200 in an effort to keep their homes cool.
One in five people (20%) now “dread” future summers, rising to 25% of disabled people, the survey found.
Citizens Advice said that although people often assumed that homes were hot in the summer because they were well insulated and built to keep the heat in, the opposite was true.
It warned that Britain had some of the leakiest housing stock in Europe, which left them cold and draughty in winter and “is also making people dread summer, lose sleep, and pay more to keep cool”.
The findings come as Ofgem announced that the energy price cap will rise by 2% from October 1, leaving the average household paying by direct debit for gas and electricity set to see their bills rise from the current £1,720 to £1,755 per year.
Citizens Advice said it was worrying that households were having to pay more to keep their homes warm in winter and cool in summer, adding that retrofitting houses to improve both insulation and ventilation “is the only way to fix both problems at once”.
It said the Government’s Warm Homes Plan was a “real opportunity to commit to solutions that deliver healthier, safer homes”.
Gillian Cooper, director of energy at Citizens Advice, said: “No-one should have to face extra costs, lose sleep, and even risk their health to get through a heatwave. Our homes should be places of comfort and safety – not another source of worry when the temperature rises.
“People might think our homes get dangerously hot in the summer because they’re built to keep the heat in. But the opposite is true, we have some of the most poorly insulated housing in Europe. This means our homes are cold and draughty in the winter, and heat can get in easier in summer.
“With the Government’s upcoming Warm Homes Plan, we have a real chance to fix this. Retrofitting homes with proper insulation and ventilation will make our homes healthier, safer and more resilient to both summer heat and winter cold.”
A Government spokeswoman said: “We are investing £13.2 billion to improve up to five million homes over this Parliament, boosting the energy efficiency of housing to cope with higher temperatures.
“We are also taking action to strengthen climate resilience across government and local communities, improving our infrastructure and making sure homes are fit for the future.”