It is predicted that without steps by the government to reduce problems regarding overheating houses, the number of deaths caused by heat will quadruple in the coming decades. Up to 4.6 million houses in England alone experience excessive heat, but there were no regulations in place for new builds until June this year.

Concerns about the susceptibility of UK homes overheating were brought up almost 10 years ago by the Climate Change Committee, who claim that over 500,000 new houses in the UK have been constructed without heat coping measures.

“Combating the heat can be expensive, but the use of electric fans and keeping curtains shut during the day can make a huge difference“

The UK Health Security Agency estimates that in 2020, heatwaves contributed to 2,000 fatalities.

James Prestwich of the Chartered Institute of Housing explained that "We've seen buildings designed that don't cope well with the increased temperatures we now experience in summer. What we've seen is buildings that have been built with a lot of glass and not necessarily the best through flow of air through corridors."

It is difficult to determine the real extent of the health danger that overheated houses pose, with asthma, heart disease, and mental disorders are all at risk of being worsened by extreme heat. Due to difficulties in distinguishing between signs of heatstroke and other health problems, such as Covid 19, heat is not frequently included as a contributing cause of death on coroners' reports. Making it almost impossible to determine how serious of a health risk it actually is.

Combating the heat can be expensive, with a large percentage of houses needing new windows or air conditioning. However, the use of electric fans and keeping curtains shut during the day can make a huge difference.

Dr Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science, explained that "When it comes to summer heat, climate change is a complete game changer and has already turned what would once have been called exceptional heat into very frequent summer conditions."