OFTEC, the trade organisation for the heating and cooling industries, has urged the UK government to look at ways to support homes in adapting to summer heatwaves.

Government energy policies for the home focus on keeping them warm in winter and reducing carbon emissions. Grants are available to help install heat pumps, improve insulation and replace inefficient boilers. The government has a target for all homes to have energy performance certificates of C rating or better by 2030.

OFTEC wants financial help extended to cover improvements that keep homes cool during what are expected to be regular summer heatwaves. Malcolm Farrow, director of marketing and external affairs at OFTEC, said:

“We need to invest in adaptability as well as decarbonisation and a huge number of homes will potentially need summer cooling.”

Most UK houses were not built for extreme heat and cannot keep indoor rooms cool when temperatures rise. This makes homes uncomfortable in very hot weather, but can be dangerous to the health of the elderly and some people with complex medical conditions.

Many households that can afford heat pumps and are eligible for grants to install them struggle to also buy and run cooling technology. OFTEC recommends switching to homes heated with oil that use hydrotreated vegetable oil, which are environmentally friendly, less expensive than heat pumps and do not require government grants. The government could divert some of its funding for heat pump installations into helping people have better insulation and install cooling systems for use in heatwaves.