A leading environmental think-tank has issued a report suggesting that the housing industry’s rush to prevent heat loss in the winter, has result in an inadvertent rise in the risk of overheating during warmer months.
The report, ‘Overheating in Homes – The Big Picture,` has been published by the Zero Carbon Hub and suggests that up to 20% of UK housing stock might be getting too hot.
Over the last year the Zero Carbon Hub has researched the causes of overheating. One finding is that risk assessments are often done too late in the housebuilding process to actually influence the design – increasing the chance that the building which is delivered is difficult to keep cool.
“With expected increases in the number of unusually hot summers as the climate changes, more frequent and intense heatwaves, and continuing construction in dense cities, it will be even more important to consider ways to ensure our homes remain at comfortable temperatures, without automatically resorting to energy-using cooling systems,” explained Rob Pannell, Managing Director of the Zero Carbon Hub.