HOW TO PREVENT OVERHEATING

Whether you are building a new home or extending your current one, overheating should be taken seriously to ensure a comfortable indoor temperature on even the hottest of days

- ALLAN CORFIELD

Overheating in our buildings has not historically been one of the major design considerations. However, with the advent of rising temperatures, a poorly performing building stock and new regulations, it really should be at the forefront of your design brief.

An overheating issue happens when the internal temperature of a building exceeds comfortable levels, which often happens in prolonged periods over the summer. Most people begin to feel uncomfortably warm indoors when the temperature exceeds 26C, especially in bedrooms or poorly ventilated spaces. Above 28C, the effects on sleep, concentration and wellbeing become more serious.

The steady increase in temperatures is a factor (with the summer of 2023 being very uncomfortable for most of the UK), however, most of the issues we have are down to the design and construction of our homes. Increased insulation, airtight structures, poor ventilation and larger glazed façades being the major contributors to issues of overheating.

BUILDING REGULATIONS

The introduction of Part O to the Building Regulations (England & Wales) in June 2022, brought major changes to how designers had to prove that overheating wasn't an issue. Part O and Section 6 of the Scottish Technical Handbook, set out how new dwellings (not extensions) should be designed to mitigate overheating risks. Although extensions to your home aren't covered under the above regulations, your design should still provide reasonable provision to limit solar gains in summer.

There are a number of ways you can aim to prevent overheating in your project, as detailed below.

DESIGN IDEAS TO ENSURE COMFORT