THE impact of climate change on Somerset’s homes is set to “get a lot worse”, experts say.

In the wake of storms Bert, Darragh and Éowyn, Somerset residents are feeling the full effects of extreme weather caused by climate change.

But it’s only the start, warns Thomas Thurlow, senior heritage officer for Exmoor National Park.

Thomas said: “There's a lot to think about with it. I don't think we've really got our head around the impact it's going to have, because the way the climate is going, in which I think we're taking it now, I think it's going to get a lot, lot worse.”

Flooding is already a severe risk to UK housing, with 1.9 million people across all areas of the UK exposed to frequent flooding, according to UK Climate Risk.

Much of the country is a floodplain or close to one, with one in four homes now at risk of flooding as the climate changes, says Cara Naden from Somerset Climate Action Network.

The other side of the coin, Mr Thurlow emphasises, is “the overheating aspect.”

He added: “When we had a 40C period a couple of years ago now, I went to some parents' houses during that period, and all their houses were very hot, and they were more modern buildings. And I don't think that's been factored in at all.

“I do think there's probably a responsibility for councils to do more in making people aware of the issues which come down the line and things that might help.”

Somerset Council has developed an ‘emergency strategy’, with plans to take action to adapt or ‘future proof’ homes, offices, and transport and communication networks across the county.

According to their Built environment Sector Summary: “Both new developments and existing buildings and infrastructure will require considerable investment to adapt them to make them more energy efficient and to build resilience to the projected impacts of climate change.”

Somerset Council say many of the approximately 250,000 homes across the county have poor energy performance. Data from BEIS in 2018 showed that emissions from homes and infrastructure accounted for 24 per cent of the total emissions released in Somerset.

Thomas said: “I see a lot of buildings which are in ok condition but as soon as you start getting damage, the weather events we have now will just exacerbate that and result in far more damage than you might have through what was typically normal weather 50-60 years ago.”

Retrofitting solutions are one option to make homes more resilient to the changing climate and flooding events, including upgrading building fabric, changing flooring and moving electrical sockets.

Cara indicated that a number of Government grants are available to help homeowners install retrofit measures, but she added: “More needs to be made available, along with skilled contractors to retrofit older homes.

“Communities, councils and organisations all need to work together to support urgent action on retrofitting homes and buildings. But more funding is also needed to do so.”