Cooler Homes Programme

UK homes were built for cold, wet winters. Heatwaves that were once rare are now frequent and severe, and the homes we have are increasingly unfit for the summers ahead.

While the sector has focused on fuel poverty and cold-weather performance, overheating has remained a blind spot. That is about to change.

Three compounding factors make this urgent for social landlords specifically.

1. Dense urban areas trap heat far above surrounding neighbourhoods. A large number of social housing sits within them.

2. Vulnerable residents, including older people, young children and those with cardiovascular or neurological conditions, are disproportionately present in social housing tenancies and face the greatest health risk.

3. Retrofit programmes focused solely on energy efficiency and cold-weather performance, can actively worsen overheating by trapping summer heat inside homes.

FOUR DECADES OF COMBINED RESEARCH BEHIND THE METHODOLOGY

By the end of May 2027, each participating organisation will have a complete overheating risk picture for their portfolio, a property-level intervention plan matched to home type at building-by-building level, and the regulatory evidence trail their board and the RSH will ask for. The intervention tool is structured by home archetype and local environment, evaluated by Loughborough University, and is yours to use independently after the programme concludes.

• A Map Impact HeatView heat exposure risk score (1-100) for every property, with 30-year forward modelling against UKCP18 climate scenarios

• Resident vulnerability overlay - dual-priority risk register ready for board reporting

• Targeted intervention plan per property, structured by archetype and environment

• Cooler Homes Playbook

• Board assurance with evidence trail for RSH consumer standards compliance

• A digital intervention tool developed by Good Homes Alliance, validated on test cases by Loughborough University, and structured around your stock

• Input into the methodology, so the programme reflects your stock and your challenges

• A knowledge event at Loughborough University to hear the latest overheating research from academic partners and GHA, setting the evidence base for the programme

The data to manage overheating risk already exists for every property in the UK. The question is whether you access it as part of a programme that generates shared learning and sector-wide credibility or commission it alone at greater cost, without the playbook, without the research partnership, and without the regulatory standing that comes from being part of a recognised national initiative.

To express interest or discuss how the programme applies to your organisation, please contact alex@healthyhomeshub.uk or fill out this form.