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Deadly Overheating Isn’t Coming: It’s Already Here

23/06/2026

Jenny Danson

Extreme heat is already killing people in their homes, and the £7.4 million HEARTH research programme is building the evidence base to make net zero and climate resilience inseparable policy goals. 

At a glance 

  • The 2022 UK heatwave produced over 3,200 excess summer deaths, with most heat exposure occurring indoors; HEARTH connects climate projections, building design and health outcomes across four high-risk settings: homes, care homes, hospitals and prisons. 

  • Passive cooling, primarily ventilation and external shading, is the priority intervention strategy; internal blinds are ineffective once solar radiation has entered a space. 

  • Integrating overheating management into all retrofit and new-build policy now is HEARTH’s most urgent call to action for housing providers. 

Tags

Policy & Regulation Thermal Comfort Retrofit Society 2.0

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