UK Health Security Agency heat-health alerts are becoming a regular part of the British summer, and most homes — old or new — simply aren't built to cope. Do nothing and you're looking at sleepless nights, a spike in your electricity bill from fans and portable AC running round the clock, and — for anyone vulnerable, elderly, or with young children in the house — a genuine health risk. The good news: most of the fixes cost nothing at all. A few cost a little. None of them require ripping your house apart.

At Upcycle Interiors Ltd (UIL), we work on homes across Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester — plus the villages in between, from Charminster and Puddletown to Osmington, Sutton Poyntz and Bridport — and we see the full range, from 1890s cottages to last year's new-build estates. The advice for keeping them cool isn't the same. Here's what works for everyone, and then what's specific to your house's age.