Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

In the drive to reduce space-heating demand and associated CO₂ emissions as well as tackle fuel poverty, dwelling overheating and summer-time occupant thermal discomfort might be the unintended consequences of low-energy building retrofits. This paper presents the findings of a steady-state modelled low-energy retrofit dwelling in northern England and its potential current and future climate overheating risks using UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) scenarios (2050 and 2080 High Emission Scenarios). Predictive findings highlight that retrofitting to low-energy standards increases overheating risk over time, unless passive prevention measures are included in the retrofit design. In addition, the steady-state nature of the model might not fully capture the occupants’ exposure to actual future overheating risks. Among the most effective individual passive overheating mitigation strategies are temporary internal shading, permanent external shading and night-time ventilation. Most effective is a combination of these adaptation measures, so that predictive overheating is minimised in a future changing climate, reducing the uptake of active cooling in retrofitted dwellings.

Practical application: Much research focuses on building overheating risks in the warmer South-east of England. However, this paper highlights how dwelling retrofit in north England (Sheffield) also can lead to increased dwelling overheating risk, unless passive design measures are included in the retrofit design. Among the most effective individual passive overheating mitigation strategies are solar shading devices and increased night-time ventilation, though ideally different measures are combined. Using future climate scenarios highlights that retrofits designed today might not be able to provide occupant thermal comfort in a future warming world.

Keywords

Low-energy housing overheating risks overheating mitigation strategies retrofit

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

HM Government. The Carbon Plan. 2014; 2011: 1–83, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47621/1358-the-carbon-plan.pdf (accessed 17 January 2018).

Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy. Annual fuel poverty statistics report, 2017 (2015 data, vol. 2017).

Lucon O, Urge-Vorsatz D, Zain Ahmed A, et al. Buildings. In: Climate change 2014: mitigation of climate change. Contribution of working group III to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Vol. 33, 2014.

Bootland J. UK Passivhaus uptake: the role of the Passivhaus Trust. In: UK Passivhaus Conference, Stevenage, 16–17 October 2014.

OPENEXP. Energy transition of the EU Building stock – unleashing the 4th industrial revolution, 2016.

Gupta R, Gregg M and Williams K. Cooling the UK housing stock post-2050s. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 2015; 36(2): 196–220.

DCLG. Investigation into overheating in homes: literature review, 2012.

Toledo L, Cropper PC and Wright AJ. Unintended consequences of sustainable architecture: evaluating overheating risks in new dwellings. In: 32th International conference on passive and low energy architecture cities, buildings, people: towards regenerative environments, 2016. Los Angeles, CA: PLEA.

Mavrogianni A, Davies M, Taylor J, et al. The unintended consequences of energy efficient retrofit on indoor air pollution and overheating risk in a typical Edwardian mid-terraced house. In: Futur eBuild – International Conference, University of Bath, Bath, 4-6 September 2013. London: UCL.

10.

Fitton

Swan

et al.

Assessing overheating of the UK existing dwellings: a case study of replica Victorian end terrace house. Build Environ 2016; 77: 1–11.

11.

Committee on Climate Change. Managing climate risks to well-being and the economy. Report, 2014, London, UK.

12.

Mylona

Davies

. BSER & T special issue: overheating and indoor air quality. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 2015; 36: 111–114.

13.

Zero Carbon Hub. Fabric energy efficiency for zero carbon homes – a flexible performance standard for 2016. 2016; 2–5.

14.

Defra. Adapting to climate change UK Climate Projections. Uk Clim Proj 2009. Report, June 2009, London.

15.

Eames

Kershaw

Coley

. On the creation of future probabilistic design weather years from UKCP09. Build Serv Eng Res Technol 2010; 32: 1–16.

16.

Cotterell Janet Dadeby

. The Passivhaus Handbook: A practical guide to constructing and retrofitting buildings for ultra-low energy performance, Using the Passivhaus planning package (PHPP), Cambridge: Green books, 2012, pp. 91–109.

17.

CIBSE. Guide A: environmental design guide A: environmental design, 2006. Page Bros., Norfolk.

18.

CIBSE. CIBSE guide A – environmental design. Lavenham Press, Suffolk, UK, 2015.

19.

CIBSE. Design methodology for the assessment of overheating risk in homes, CIBSE TM59:2017, 2017. London: CIBSE.

20.

Diamond S. TM59 – a new methodology for predicting overheating risk in 2017, CIBSE Webinar, https://www.cibse.org/getmedia/5c257e69-c5ab-4f92-89db-c7645760a171/TM59-Webinar_Susie-Diamond_Inkling.pdf.aspx (accessed 11 January 2018).

21.

Bhaumik CLD. A comparison of overheating criteria for a range of building types: Session 4, Paper 5, CIBSE ASHRAE Technical Symposium, Dublin, Ireland, 3–4 April 2014. London: CIBSE.

22.

Bateson A. Comparison of CIBSE thermal comfort assessments with SAP overheating assessments and implications for designers. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 2016; 37(2): 243–251.

23.

Hopfe

Mcleod

. The Passivhaus designer’s manual: a technical guide to low and zero energy, Oxon: Routledge, 2015.

24.

Tabatabaei Sameni

Gaterell

Montazami

et al.

Overheating investigation in UK social housing flats built to the Passivhaus standard. Building and Environment 2015; 92: 222–235.

25.

CIBSE. TM52: The limits of thermal comfort: avoiding overheating in European buildings, 2016, Page Bros., Norfolk.

26.

Jenkins GJ, Murphy JM, Sexton DMH, et al. UK climate projections: briefing report. Met Office Hadley Exeter. 2009, p. 59.

27.

Mcleod

Hopfe

Kwan

. An investigation into future performance and overheating risks in passivhaus dwellings. Build Environ 2013; 70: 189–209.

28.

Gupta

Gregg

. Preventing the overheating of English suburban homes in a warming climate. Build Research Inform 2013; 41: 281–300.

29.

Artmann

Manz

Heiselberg

. Parameter study on performance of building cooling by night-time ventilation. Renewable Energy 2008; 33: 2589–2598.

30.

Tillson

A-A

Oreszczyn

Palmer

. Assessing impacts of summertime overheating: some adaptation strategies. Build Research and Inform 2013; 41: 652–661.

31.

DCLG. English Housing Survey. Communities 2015, pp. 1–73.

32.

Mulville

Stravoravdis

Mulville

et al.

The impact of regulations on overheating risk in dwellings: the impact of regulations on overheating risk in dwellings. Build Research Inform 2016; 44(5-6): 520–534.

33.

Peacock

Jenkins

Kane

. Investigating the potential of overheating in UK dwellings as a consequence of extant climate change. Energy Policy 2010; 38: 3277–3288.

34.

BRE. Passivhaus primer – designer’ s guide: a guide for the design team and local authorities, BRE: Watford, 2006.

35.

ZCH. Overheating in homes: an introduction to planner, designer and property owners. Milton Keynes: ZCH, 2012.

36.

Chaiwiwatworakul

Chirarattananon

Rakkwamsuk

. Application of automated blind for daylighting in tropical region. Energy Convers Manag 2009; 50: 2927–2943.

37.

McLeod

Hopfe

Kwan

. An investigation into future performance and overheating risks in Passivhaus dwellings. Build Environ 2013; 70: 189–209.

38.

AECOM. creating benchmarks for cooling demand in new residential developments. Mayor of London: London, 2015.

39.

Zero Carbon Hub. Solutions to overheating in homes, London, 2016.

Low-energy housing retrofit in North England: Overheating risks and possible mitigation strategies

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References