Disabled people are at particular risk, report the End Fuel Poverty Coalition.

As the UK swelters under yet another bout of scorching weather, new research reveals that more than 15 million people reported feeling unwell because of the heat during June’s record-breaking heatwave.

According to the research from Opinium for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, more than a quarter of UK adults said they felt unwell because of the heat during the recent heatwave, with those who have difficult financial situations and disabled people reporting disproportionately high impacts. Nearly half of those whose financial situation is difficult or very difficult and over four in ten disabled people said they were left unwell due to the high heat.

More than half of the disabled people polled said their sleep had been affected as a result of their homes being too hot during warm weather or heatwaves over the past year, and 44% said they were unable to get their home to a comfortable temperature. Close to one in five disabled people said they could not afford to cool their home down. 

Other at-risk groups have also been suffering from the impact of extreme heat. More than a third of respondents with a heart condition said they felt unable to go outside to do their normal daily activities, and one in said they have had to spend a lot of money running fans or air-conditioning units in an attempt to bring the temperatures down over the last 12 months as a result of their home being too hot.

The research comes as experts estimate an additional 20,000 deaths across Europe – including 862 in the UK – as a direct result of the heat dome which engulfed the continent last month. 

Meanwhile, National Housing Federation (NHF) and Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) analysis has found that more than 70,000 babies in England – equivalent to one in every six – are living in overheated homes. Overheating carries particularly serious health risks for children under five years old, especially babies, who are less able to regulate their temperature and manage dehydration.

As global temperatures continue to rise, nearly two thirds of UK adults say they are worried that heatwaves will become more frequent and severe in the UK as a result of climate change. 

Simon Francis, Coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “The third blast of extreme heat in just a few months is highly unusual and is undeniably a serious health threat. The risk is made worse for households with poor ventilation or no ability to implement passive cooling measures. And the risk is also heightened for people who are simply unable to afford to run fans and air conditioners to keep their homes cool.

”It has been more than five years since energy bills could be considered even vaguely normal and a growing proportion of households are now spending an unsustainable amount of their income on energy costs or servicing energy debt.

”The same people who suffer in cold winters, suffer in hot summers and the Climate Change Committee has warned that most homes could overheat in more extreme heat events with the poorest neighbourhoods seven times more likely to be vulnerable. 

“It is a disgrace that not only are the fossil fuel giants contributing to the climate crisis, but they are also profiting from the increased energy prices households have to pay to keep our homes cool in the summer.”

Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “It is vital that measures are taken to make homes and communities more resilient to extreme heat. The foundational pillars of lifelong physical and mental health are established during the first 1,001 days of our lives. Growing up in a safe, comfortable home is central to this.

“As our summers get hotter, the ripple effects of this across our health and education systems will also continue to grow, with children’s education impacted by disrupted sleep after spending all night in a bedroom too hot for them to sleep in.

“The ambition shown in the government’s Warm Homes Plan is a necessary first step in the right direction, and we also need to think carefully about whether the 1.5 million homes we aim to build in this Parliament will cope with the hotter temperatures we will increasingly see in the future. CIH believes that we need to strengthen building regulations around overheating and start to consider policies that will support people with the energy costs of keeping cool during future heatwaves.”

Dan White, policy and campaigns officer at Disability Rights UK, said: “Heatwaves are becoming more common across the UK, but disabled people remain largely invisible in discussions and solutions to climate adaptation. Too many people are being forced to choose between managing rising energy costs and protecting their health, while living in often poorly maintained and inaccessible housing.

“Extreme heat can exacerbate existing conditions for disabled people, posing serious risks to health. Heat can worsen chronic pain, fatigue, and respiratory issues, making daily activities even more difficult. Many medications commonly prescribed for chronic illnesses and disabilities fail to work in extreme heat and can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature.

“Disabled lives are at risk because of constant failures to urgently address a changing climate. Poor housing, coupled with extreme heat are a threat to life and so an urgent  response to climate change must include accessible housing, affordable cooling, resilient support services and meaningful involvement of disabled people in all decision-making, the alternative is a catastrophe for an already marginalised community.”

Robert Palmer, deputy director of Uplift, said:“When extreme heat is making people ill, it is beyond time that our politicians woke up to the fact that millions of people can’t just ‘turn up the AC’. Worse, some in Westminster are still going out to bat for the oil and gas industry and calling for more drilling, which is the very thing driving extreme weather.

“Andy Burnham must put the public’s need for cheaper bills and a safe climate ahead of oil companies’ profits – and protect us and our children from worse to come.”