HomeExternal shading
Cost: MediumEffectiveness: HighDIY: Moderate
Stop the sun before it hits the glass. Often the highest-leverage move on a sunny facade.
Too hot to sleep. Upstairs baking. Still warm after sunset.
Your home is too hot.
A two-minute Heat Check. What’s going on in this house or flat, and what to try first.
- About 2 minutes
- Anonymous
- Owners and renters
Does this sound like your home?
Pick the closest match. Each one leads into advice for that problem, or straight into the Heat Check if you want a full steer.
- Bedroom too hot at nightYou fall asleep, then wake up overheated. West-facing rooms and stuffy lofts are usual suspects.
- Upstairs gets too hotHeat stacks under the roof. The ground floor feels fine; the bedrooms don’t.
- House stays hot after sunsetThe building has soaked up the day and can’t dump the heat overnight.
- South or west rooms bakeSolar gain through glass, then nowhere for that heat to go.
- Can’t sleep in a heatwaveA few hot nights a year that are getting more frequent, and harder to recover from.
- Still hot with the windows openOpening up isn’t enough, or it just lets warmer air in. Night vs day matters.
We don’t jump to air conditioning
Most UK overheating is heat getting in, or heat that can’t get out overnight. The useful order is almost always:
- Stop heat getting in Shading, glazing, reflective surfaces, before the sun hits the room.
- Let heat out when it’s cooler outside Night purge, cross ventilation, and knowing when not to open windows.
- Move air and only then add cooling Fans do more than people think. Active cooling last, and only if the building still fails.
What actually helps
A few high-leverage measures. The Heat Check ranks what fits your home, including if you rent.
Cross ventilation
Cost: LowEffectiveness: HighRenters: Suitable
Night purge and opposite-window airflow, when outdoor air is actually cooler.
Fans
Cost: LowDIY: EasyRenters: Suitable
Cheap, renter-friendly, and more effective than people think when you use them properly.
Window film
Cost: MediumDIY: ModerateRenters: Sometimes
Cut solar gain where shutters or awnings aren’t an option. Quality and install matter.
Evidence-led, not opinion-led
We read the papers, CIBSE guidance and government advice so you don’t have to. Then we say what that actually means for an ordinary UK home, including when the evidence is thin.
Find out what to try in your home
Answer a few questions about the problem, the building, and your circumstances. No account. You can save the results with an email if you want them later.