Despite years of warnings, the UK is poorly prepared for climate change. The Climate Change Committee, the government’s statutory adviser, has repeatedly highlighted a lack of urgent effort to adapt critical infrastructure, from water, transport and communication networks, to the fabric of our buildings.

“The way we are building new housing is not adequate to the climate change we are already seeing, never mind the even hotter weather that’s coming,” says McWhirter. Part of this is owing to the construction of the homes themselves, which need good ventilation to create through airflow that cools rooms, with well-designed windows and external shutters, and reflective paint on roofs or outside surfaces. Homes should also be highly water-efficient, for instance being able to recycle bathwater to flush toilets or water gardens, to cope with the impacts of drought.

Keeping cool also depends on the locality around a building, especially the shade and cooling impact of street trees. The UKGBC advocates a 3:30:300 approach: you should be able to see three trees from your dwelling; you should have 30% tree canopy cover in your neighbourhood; and you should be no more than 300 metres from a biodiverse green space or park.

New rules aimed at overhauling how new homes are built have been promised for two decades. But throughout this process, the focus has been mainly on how to keep draughty homes warm in winter, to stop them leaking heat – and money, and carbon dioxide alongside. The challenge of cooling overheated homes is new – and the current draft of the FHS fails to meet it, McWhirter says.

“The FHS does not address this threat properly,” he says. “The focus has been on energy conservation and reducing bills. Absent has been the other side of the coin, which is climate impacts.”