As the UK endures rising temperatures, families nationwide are increasingly feeling the effects, transforming their homes from safe havens into intolerable environments that many wish to escape.

Keisha, who resides in a top-floor flat, reports summer temperatures soaring to 43°C, with a baseline of around 31°C.

“These living conditions should be outlawed,” states the 36-year-old, who is among countless parents lamenting that the extreme heat in their flats is adversely affecting their children’s health.

According to recent analysis of the English Housing Survey 2022 by the Resolution Foundation think tank, nearly 5.5 million children—over half of all those in England—are living in homes that face the risk of overheating. More than a million of these children reside in London, primarily within social housing.

Keisha has called her newly-built flat in Woolwich, southeast London, home for eight years.

Her nine-year-old daughter finds it difficult to cope with the heat, often “unable to manage her temperature.”

“She often feels unwell, and her stomach regularly hurts.”

“Just the other night, it was 20 degrees outside, and she was in tears at 3 a.m. I have to bring her endless liters of water just to help her settle down.”

To escape the excessive heat, Keisha frequently strolls the streets at night or drives around in an air-conditioned vehicle. She cites the cost of installing air conditioning in her flat as prohibitive, having been quoted £8,000 per bedroom.

Her housing association asserts that while the block adhered to all relevant planning and building regulations at the time of construction, these buildings, like most in the UK, were not designed to withstand the severe heat we are now experiencing.

Certain housing associations are acutely aware of the danger of overheating homes and are formulating strategic climate adaptation plans to mitigate the risks associated with increasingly hot summers, according to Alistair Smyth, director of policy and research at the National Housing Federation.

“We are dedicated to collaborating with the government on this matter and advocate for a national overheating strategy, complete with suitable funding solutions, to retrofit both new and existing homes to endure future climate changes,” he mentioned in a statement to BBC London.

The Resolution Foundation, an independent think tank aimed at enhancing the living standards of low-to-middle income individuals, is urging the government to ensure that the costs associated with improving overheated homes are manageable.

“Numerous families lack the financial resources to invest in cooling solutions for their properties,” explains principal economist Jonathan Marshall.

UK buildings have traditionally been constructed to retain warmth in a temperate climate, with energy-efficient regulations now mandating enhanced insulation to minimize heating needs during winter.

“We need to focus on making homes more environmentally sound—insulating residences in ways that prevent overheating in the summer months,” Mr. Marshall remarked.

Their analysis of the 2022 English Housing Survey data reveals that more than half of the children in England are living in homes vulnerable to overheating.

“This isn’t a problem confined to a sweltering day in mid-July. Even warm spells in the late spring or autumn can lead to homes becoming excessively hot.”

Sarah, a mother of two from Islington in north London, reported measuring 43°C in her living room this summer, and suspects the bedrooms may reach even higher temperatures. She notes that her summer electricity bills are higher, as she relies on fans to cool their two-bedroom flat more than in winter.

“It makes the children feel unwell—they lose their appetites. Our sleep is disrupted.”

The building is currently enveloped in scaffolding due to cladding repairs. Sarah mentions that opening the windows poses risks due to intruders climbing on the scaffolding and the ongoing work outside.

“The summers are escalating in both length and heat. Families simply cannot endure the conditions we are facing. While we have fans running continually—it’s a temporary fix, not a true solution.”

Her 18-year-old daughter Maddie shares that these conditions have negatively impacted her social life, as friends are reluctant to visit.

“It’s overwhelming, to the point where you can feel nauseous. I’ve experienced headaches from dehydration.”

In the morning, she says to her mother, “Mum, feel my clothes”—they’re drenched as if just pulled from the washing line.

Her six-year-old brother has also suffered from illness due to the heat.

Among the estimated 5.5 million children at risk of overheating, over one million reside in London.

“The spatial challenges are more pronounced in urban areas, particularly in London, where residences are typically smaller,” Mr. Marshall notes. “Compact homes are far more prone to overheating.”

He adds that single-aspect homes, which feature windows only on one side, are particularly hot due to inadequate airflow.

Dr. Amaran Uthayakumar-Cumarasamy, an NHS pediatrician and member of the health justice charity Medact, highlights the symptoms of overheating in children, which may include confusion, irritability, elevated core body temperature, and nausea.

“With the escalating climate crisis and extreme heat worsening every year, it is critical that we act urgently to address the dangers of our unsafe and unhealthy housing stock in the UK.”

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has called on national and local governments to collaborate with the housing sector to “adapt against heat stress, as well as cold and damp, in our existing and future housing, all of which have implications for children’s health.”

“Young children are particularly susceptible to heat-related illnesses,” comments Helena Clements, an officer for climate change at the College.

“As temperatures rise across the UK, heat becomes an increasingly significant factor for pediatricians.

“There must be heightened awareness of the risks associated with heat and its negative impacts during early life and pregnancy, encouraging families to follow government guidelines on keeping children cool.”

The summer heatwave of 2022 was one of the most severe recorded in the UK, resulting in 4,500 heat-related deaths, according to the Office for National Statistics.

If action is not taken to adapt to the warming climate, as many as 10,000 people in the UK could face heat-related fatalities annually by 2050—although cold weather can also lead to excess mortality.

The nation is grappling with an “architectural crisis,” asserts Andy Love, founding director of Shade the UK.

This community interest company has joined forces with the London School of Economics to advocate for a user-friendly measure of overheating risk, akin to Energy Performance Certificates that inform about a property’s energy efficiency, helping tenants and buyers assess heat risks before moving in.

Mr. Love adds that many UK homes were designed for temperate climates and “do not perform effectively in hot weather,” particularly buildings featuring “floor-to-ceiling windows and single-aspect layouts.”

In the short term, Mr. Love recommends placing a wet towel over windows to block direct sunlight and keeping windows open during cooler evenings to allow fresh air to circulate in the morning.