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How improved building regulations can help us manage the fickle British summer
Building regulations must change to prevent the overheating of new builds that puts occupants at risk, writes Michael Swainson
As the temperature continues to hover around the late 20s, many of us find ourselves wishing forward the cooler months. Without even an air-conditioned office to serve as a sanctuary during the day, it is fair to say that a lot of us are struggling with the heat.
And while the current weather gives us something to talk about with the cashier and cause to laugh at others’ creative solutions while passing in public, there is a more sinister, serious element to the problem of overheating.
“Our obsession with ‘bringing the outside in’ by building houses with floor-to-ceiling glass panels means that heat is entering our homes a lot quicker than it can escape”
Many will remember the European heat wave of 2003, during which crops across the continent suffered severe shortfalls and thousands died from heat-related deaths – 14,802 died in France alone, where temperatures of more than 40°C were recorded over consecutive days in Northern regions not accustomed to such extreme weather.
These fatalities were largely attributed to archaic top-floor flats with lead-lined roofs, small windows and little if any insulation.
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In the UK, the issue of health and high temperatures inside homes was already being recognised. Indeed, in the 2006 Housing Health and Safety Rating System, one of the hazards was excess heat. However, as many reading this with a fan on full blast will attest, this has had little impact.
The problem of overheating in new build housing in the UK is, to a large extent, one of our own creation, and arguably one for which we have celebrity architects and designers to thank. Our obsession with ‘bringing the outside in’ by building houses with floor-to-ceiling glass panels means that heat is entering our homes a lot quicker than it can escape.
Where once we had kitchen windows, we now have patio doors. Where once we had grass, we now have decking and conservatories.
“The current trend of converting fishbowl type office spaces into private residences could significantly exacerbate the issue of overheating”
This penchant for glazing, combined with a general reluctancy to leave our windows and doors wide open at night, means that homes are storing an enormous amount of heat during the day and then rejecting it only very slowly during the night. Simply put: if we let the sun’s heat in uncontrolled, then opening a window for a couple of hours in the evening will never remove all the stored up heat.
The current trend of converting fishbowl type office spaces into private residences – expedited by our collective realisation during the COVID-19 pandemic that most of us can work efficiently from home – could significantly exacerbate the issue. As does the increased airtightness of dwellings. We have not really changed the ventilation rate of our homes over the last 20 years, but the levels of infiltration rate have been reduced significantly.
Infiltration rates used to be several fold greater than purpose provided ventilation rates, but now they are often similar. While having a more airtight house is great for energy efficiency, the loss of this air uncontrollably drifting through our homes has meant that we are now in control of heat removal ie by opening windows.
“Instead of wishing in winter and crossing our fingers for cooler climes, we should be ready to welcome legislation that encourages smarter homes which are more equipped to deal with our fickle British summers now and in the future”
The current regulations require landlords to act if a home creates a risk of suffering excess heat, however these powers are rarely used against designers or developers.
Therefore it is time we introduce new, more wide-ranging measures which mandate that an assessment is undertaken on all new properties – one that includes an evaluation of the location of the building, the number, size and orientation of windows, the local outside environment, and so on. If a developer fails this assessment then they should be required to undertake a detailed dynamic thermo-modelling examination and, failing this, the building’s design should then be deemed not fit for habitation and modification made.
Rethinking the way in which we design and ventilate our homes might not align with the advice proffered on many architectural TV shows, however it will mean we are all a lot more comfortable during those long, sultry evenings. Instead of wishing in winter and crossing our fingers for cooler climes, we should be ready to welcome legislation that encourages smarter homes which are more equipped to deal with our fickle British summers now and in the future.
Michael Swainson, principal engineer, Building Research Establishment
