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Two new reports produced for the government urge the use of blinds and shutters as a passive means of reducing the impact of overheating.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) documents highlight passive techniques as a solution to overheating and uses BBSA and London Southbank University scientific research conducted by Zoe De Grussa on overheating in a London apartment to support one of the eight recommendations.
Among the passive techniques listed are the use of blinds and shutters as a means to preventing solar gain in buildings, rather than using energy to remove it via methods such as air conditioning. Prevention is better than cure.
The report refers to a study conducted by Zoe De Grussa in 2016 which looked at methods for reducing overheating and found that when no shading was present operative temperatures could reach highs of 47.5˚c. Solar shading devices reduced this by up to 18 degrees.
In colder weather dynamic solar shading can be raised during the day to allow sunlight in to heat rooms and closed in the evening to trap the heat inside and further reduce the need to use energy to heat homes.
Since its previous report in 2016, the CCC states that more than 570,000 houses have been built in England which have not been designed to withstand high temperatures.
This means expensive refits are likely to be needed in the future to ensure these houses remain habitable. Analysis by the CCC has found it is approximately four times more expensive to install solar shading retrospectively rather than at the building stage.
Across the next five year, more than 1.5 million homes are expected to be built meaning it is vital planning and building policy is adapted to help prevent overheating.
This is not the first time the CCC has highlighted the passive energy and comfort benefits of solar shading. Commenting on a previous report Lord Krebs, then Chair of the CCC''s Adaptation Sub-Committee, said: “A lot of modern flats are built with limited ventilation. We are not designing buildings for preventing overheating. Shading – shutters or awnings – is not costly or difficult to install, it’s just that we’re not doing it.”
Typically, we are still not doing it, and yet it’s a proven, passive, common sense solution.
