A study by Loughborough University has highlighted the issue of overheating of domestic buildings and confirms many of the conclusions of the Solar Shading Impact report by the National Energy Foundation.

The report finds that building regulations have sought to reduce heat loss in cold weather, however there is no regulatory consideration for design to control overheating in warm weather. As a result, UK homes are now increasingly experiencing summertime overheating.

While the insulation standard of existing homes has been improved, virtually no consideration is given to summertime heat gains. There is not a culture of designing and operating buildings to cope with summer heat. Therefore, solutions such as external shading devices, blinds and shutters can be resisted. External shading devices are of course the cultural norm across Europe and so visually accepted. They are standard practice in France, for example.

However, while the potential for exacerbating overheating risk is now recognised, the matter is paid little attention in practice. Built environment professionals understand they have an implicit duty of care to the occupants of buildings and so there is a concern whether buildings created now will still be fit for purpose in the years ahead.

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The tendency of urban apartments to overheat is further exacerbated by the inherently higher ambient temperatures in summer, and particularly summer nights, caused by the urban heat island, and the high internal heat gains. New buildings may have large windows to create a modern 'glassy' appearance. These can be heavy and difficult to open, with security concerns and traffic noise often mitigating against a willingness to do so.

The study also confirms issues with building modelling of overheating as highlighted in the National Energy Foundation report. It shows that there was a massive gap between the predicted incidence of overheating by the SAP programme and the actual incidence of overheating.

Furthermore, the study observes that it is not so surprising because they are steady-state models which are being applied to an inherently dynamic problem and so cannot possibly capture the full complexity of the thermodynamic processes at play. Even dynamic thermal models can struggle to accurately predict internal summertime temperatures in buildings. Even if the input data is precise, the dynamic model used, and the way it is configured, can have a huge impact on the predictions

Overall, the study indicates the importance of the provision of suitable shading and ventilation with adjustable controls with clear instructions in the correct use of these at handover to the occupants.

For more information on how smart shading solutions can prevent overheating, visit www.hallmarkblinds.co.uk.

To view Loughborough University's study, visit here.

To view the National Energy Foundation's report, visit here.