Copy These! 5 Big Local Ideas About Heatwaves

The heat is on. Here are some of the ways we can turn up our readiness so we are better prepared to cope with heatwaves.

1. No place like a cool home 

The cool thing about home insulation is that slows down the heat moving through walls. In winter, this means it helps keep us warm from the cold outside. In summer, it does the opposite and keeps us cooler. We’re not trapping heat by having well-insulated walls, we’re actually doing the opposite! Cooling relief also comes from shading windows that are exposed to sunlight for much of the day. Natural ventilation (the most cost-effective cooling) also slows down the build-up of heat indoors, especially in high rise flats that can show a six-fold difference in temperature between the top and ground floors.

2. Shady business

In summer, shading for buildings can reduce reliance on expensive air conditioning and helps keep up to 90% of the heat outside. Shade works so well because it reduces the amount of sunlight and direct solar radiation that hits the building’s walls, windows and roof. This lowers indoor temperatures, particularly in buildings with poor insulation that heat up quickly. There are good shading options ranging from awnings to shutters for homes, workplaces and public buildings – as well as shade sails for outdoor spaces like playgrounds and bus stops. Organisations like Shade The UK help us reimagine a cooler future with more shading, lower energy consumption and much greater comfort!

3. Leaf it to nature

Planting trees, creating green roofs, adding parks and installing green walls in urban areas is one of the most effective and natural defences we have against worsening heatwaves. Trees and vegetation act like a giant living air conditioner, releasing water vapour which absorbs heat from the surrounding air. Tree canopies provide shade. Plants absorb less heat during the day than concrete and asphalt, so they radiate less heat at night. Unlike mechanical cooling systems, greenery gets more effective over time as plants grow – which is great for long-term, sustainable cooling! Find out how Trees for Cities can help your local community or council cool down entire city neighbourhoods by leaving it to nature to beat the heat.

4. The cool side of town

Everyone can enjoy cool public spaces like community centres, shopping malls and shaded parks when it gets unbearably hot. Many people do not have access to air conditioning or live in well-insulated housing, so accessible environments like these can provide a much needed break from extreme heat. They also provide an important coping mechanism for our health service and the energy grid. When people have easy access to safe spaces to cool down, it lowers the burden on hospitals and emergency responders. And shared spaces with efficient cooling reduce individual energy use during peak demand periods and put less strain on the electricity grid.

5. Cool heads in hot times

Local councils are responsible for developing a heatwave response plan, with clear roles for health services, emergency responders, community groups as well as the local authority. These Heat Action Plans are crucial in helping to protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly and infants, and in co-ordinating action during prolonged extreme temperatures. While they don’t usually write the official plan, community groups can help in developing their local Heat Action Plan, in promoting it more widely and by collaborating on initiatives such as urban greening or insulation and shading retrofit schemes. Do you have a Heat Action Plan in place? Check out your local council’s Climate Action Plan to find out more.

Prepare for Heatwaves is the latest focus in Carbon Copy’s 25 Big Local Actions in 2025 campaign. For more information about this and to discover a local action that’s right for you, visit our campaign landing page.