Nearly half of Brits feel they lack basic control to stop homes overheating, says Citizens Advice
One in six Brits are taking drastic action like sleeping in the kitchen, missing work, or booking hotels to survive the heat
The charity is demanding government action on a now year-round crisis of soaring heat in summer and unaffordable energy bills in winter
Millions of people across the UK aren’t just battling the heat - they are trapped in homes they can’t cool, with little to no control over soaring indoor temperatures. New research by Citizens Advice finds nearly half (44%) of Brits feel they lack the basic control needed to stop their homes overheating.
One in six - nearly nine million - took drastic action to cope with this year’s extreme heat. That includes: sleeping in unconventional places like the kitchen, garden, or on a balcony; taking sick days, unpaid leave or annual leave; or paying for hotels. A further four million said they had to use makeshift solutions like taping tin foil, cardboard, or damp sheets to windows.
The charity’s research found poorly designed homes, which act like “heat traps”, and the high cost of cooling equipment like air conditioning are making people feel helpless against the hot weather.
Who overheating hits hardest
One of the groups struggling most is renters. Half (51%) of tenants - which includes those who rent privately and those in social housing - feel they lack the basic control needed to stop their homes overheating, compared with 40% of homeowners.
The charity has also heard from people struggling with an extreme lack of control in soaring temperatures: ranging from renters who cannot open fixed or locked windows, to people on heat networks who cannot switch off central heating or control their thermostat.
People who live in a building with an old, gas-run heat network are among the most at risk of overheating due to hot pipework intensifying indoor temperatures. The charity’s research found 90,000 heat network consumers are unable to turn off their central heating even in summer.
Lucy’s story
Lucy rents a flat from a housing association. Her portable aircon unit has already pushed her £40 into electricity debt in just one month, and she's worried about the high cost of keeping her flat cool during increasingly hot summers. She said:
“In summer it gets so hot we feel like we can’t live at all. It’s just horrible from the moment we wake up - boiling everywhere, every day. There’s no way to control the temperature of the house; we’ve been using ice packs, running flannels under cold water for our foreheads, anything.
“I contacted our housing agency twice, and it was only after lodging a complaint with the help of Citizens Advice that they sent someone round to investigate. An engineer put up heat monitors, and the whole flat was boiling. The loft temperature was in the high 40s, which made the rest of the flat so hot. It’s apparently something to do with the roof and the tiles.
“Our housing association is going to install air con units, but I’m really worried about how much it’s going to cost to run them. My dad got us a portable aircon unit to use until then. We only use it during the day and, because of the running costs, we switch to the fan at night. We’re already £40 in debt after one month’s usage. I know the housing association’s air con unit will make our home feel liveable at last, but I’m really worried about how much it’s going to cost to run them.”
Cool Homes Plan
Citizens Advice says the government must take action to help people facing a year-round crisis of overheating in summer and unaffordable energy bills in winter.
It is calling for the Warm Homes Plan to include support for both summer cooling and winter heating through local fuel poverty schemes or low-interest loans, alongside funding to upgrade gas-run heat networks.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“For far too many people, a summer heatwave doesn't mean enjoying the sun, it means being trapped in a sweltering home with no control over the temperature.
“We’re now facing a year-round crisis, where poorly designed housing stock is acting as a giant heat trap in summer and as an ice box in winter.
“The government has a vital opportunity to help fix this through the Warm Homes Plan. By investing in better insulation, ventilation, and heat network upgrades, we can ensure people's homes are warmer in the winter and safer and cooler in the summer.”
Notes to editors:
Between 1-2nd July 2026, Yonder Data Solutions surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,105 UK adults on behalf of Citizens Advice.
Overall, 44% of respondents said they feel they have ‘very little control’ or ‘no control at all’ over the temperature of their home during heatwaves. 51% of renters felt this way, compared to 40% of homeowners. Renters include those who rent from a council, a housing association or someone else. Homeowners include those who own their home outright and those who own with a mortgage.
“One in six - nearly nine million - Brits took drastic action to cope with the heat” is based on Citizens Advice survey data, which shows 16% of respondents had done at least 1 of the following: slept somewhere unconventional to stay cool (e.g., on the kitchen/bathroom floor, in the garden, on a balcony or in a vehicle); paid for short-term accommodation (e.g. hotels, Airbnbs) strictly to access air conditioning; had to use annual leave, sick days or unpaid leave because it was too hot to work or study. ONS data shows there are 55,022,253 adults in the UK.
“A further four million said they had to use makeshift solutions like taping tin foil, cardboard, or damp sheets to windows” is based on Citizens Advice survey data, which shows 8% of respondents had used makeshift solutions to block out the sun (e.g., taping tinfoil, cardboard, or damp sheets to windows) and hadn’t taken the actions listed in the footnote above. ONS data shows there are 55,022,253 adults in the UK.
Respondents were asked: “What - if anything - limits your ability to keep your home at a comfortable temperature during hot weather?” 31% said it was due to the building design; 29% said it was due to the upfront costs of purchasing permanent cooling equipment or home alterations; 27% said it was due to the costs of running fans or air conditioning.
Between February and May 2026, IFF Research surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,266 heat network consumers on behalf of Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice, Heat Network Consumer Survey, 2026.
The government estimates that over 453,000 households are connected to a heat network in England and Wales. DESNZ, Heat Networks registered under the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations statistics: December 2022, Table 1.3b.
Citizens Advice data indicates that 8% of these consumers aren’t able to turn their heating off when they don't need it on, such as in the summer. Citizens Advice, Heat Network Consumer Survey, 2026, Table 38. This is equivalent to approximately 37,665 households or 90,396 people in England and Wales, based on an average household size of 2.4 people.
Heat networks, sometimes called 'district' or 'communal' heating, are a way of heating blocks of flats or groups of homes from a shared central source, like a large boiler.
Citizens Advice is the people’s champion - supporting people across England, Wales and the Channel Islands through: the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities; and the Citizens Advice consumer service.
Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Citizens Advice helped 2.71 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2024-25. And we had 44 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,500 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 locations across England, Wales and the Channel Islands.
Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
Citizens Advice consumer service can help with consumer issues like broken or faulty goods, or problems with energy, heat networks or post. You can get advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.