From yoghurt to luxury sails: how to shade your home from supercharged UK heatwaves

As hot weather becomes more common, companies and homeowners are coming up with innovative ways to keep properties cool

When graphic designer Marc Alabaster had a new set of glass doors installed at his West Sussex home eight years ago, he soon realised how they magnified the heat of the afternoon sun.

“The kitchen was 40-plus degrees,” he said. Then he went on holiday to Spain and saw an apartment building wrapped in louvre-like rows of angled fins or blades that shaded the external walls against the sun.