The increasing death toll linked to worsening heatwaves means urgent action must be taken, say the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)
The Met Office has said we are at the longest ever period where temperatures have been above average, at 79 days as of 19 August, making overheating buildings a bigger issue than ever.
According to Imperial College London, 263 people died in London due to the heat in June alone.
Further research shows the extent of heat stress
Friends of the Earth has released research that shows nearly 5,000 neighbourhoods in England suffer from heat stress regularly, covering a third of the country.
These areas include over 1,000 hospitals and 10,000 children’s nurseries and care homes. Children and older people are among the highest risk of health issues or death in a heatwave.
This research also provides evidence that there may be over 10,000 heat-related deaths due to heatwaves in the UK by 2050, and urgent action is needed.
BESA’s technical director, Kevin Morrissey, said: “There are multiple technical solutions available, including both passive and mechanical cooling systems.
“However, to ensure these reach the most vulnerable in our society, cooling must now become a central part of the UK’s push to decarbonise the built environment, which continues to focus primarily on how we heat buildings.
“Adapting the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to support wider adoption of heat pumps that provide cooling in summer as well as heating would be a positive and easy first step.”
“The climate crisis amplifies existing inequalities”
Writing for PBC Today in July, Dan Watt, director of the building services engineering team at Civic, discussed a similar sentiment, stating that more than updated regulations will be needed to tackle the issues of overheating buildings.
Dan wrote: “Overheating in homes is no longer a seasonal inconvenience — it’s a growing public health risk, especially in dense urban areas.
“The climate hazards we face should be treated as a national emergency, according to the UKGBC, following their recent report that found many homes, schools, care homes, and hospitals are not prepared for the worsening impacts of climate change.
“It shows more than half of homes in England (55%) already overheat during relatively cool summers, and £10bn of climate adaptation investment is needed to improve the UK’s preparedness for climate change.
“The figures are stark and will worsen as the frequency of heatwaves and flooding increases.
“The climate crisis amplifies existing inequalities. As professionals, we have a duty to design for resilience that includes everyone. The industry needs to move from reactive compliance to proactive resilience.
“That requires local authorities embedding overheating strategy into spatial plans. We need to see stronger planning policies to enable the development of more climate-resilient homes, towns and cities.
“It also means developers prioritising passive design over quick wins. Factors such as orientation, shading, natural ventilation, and Brise Soleil ‘fins’ to reflect and diffuse sunlight can be designed to work together effectively.”
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