Climate change has hit hard, and the U.K. is bracing for stifling summers. In the next few decades, those extreme summer temperatures will reach above 40°C. The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has just released a report, demonstrating how the extreme heat experienced during summer 2022 may soon become our norm. Climate change is bringing forecasts of new 45°C highs. These projections pose immediate questions about the state of our nation’s housing stock—most of which is still unprepared to face these more extreme weather threats.
The Met Office backs up these frightening projections. They defined that climate data broadly and found that coming summers will be not just hotter but more uncomfortable, even on dry sunny days. The demand for new, more efficient cooling solutions is urgent and booming. Experts are sounding alarms that the vast majority of homes out there are dangerously unprepared for climate change, especially extreme heat.
According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, this summer’s increased temperatures will result in reduced energy bills and consumption due to less heating, presumably. Our existing housing infrastructure has wholly monumentalized to cope with the challenge of overheating. That looming change in energy balance involves making up for greater summer demand with savings gained in winter months.
The government has legislated to deliver 1.5 million new homes over this parliamentary term. These new builds will only make up a tiny fraction of the UK’s total housing supply. Climate experts Climate Outreach warn that days over 28°C could be the average in London and the southeast as soon as the late 2020s. This change has been largely driven by the climate crisis.
This is why Home Builders Federation (HBF) is going to court on these challenges. What’s just as important, they say, is the role of insulation in new and existing homes. They claim that improved insulation offers the best means of keeping homes warm in the winter and cooler in summer without the damaging heat buildup. Steve Turner, executive director of HBF, stated,
“New-build homes are required to be exceptionally well insulated, which helps keep them stay both warmer in winter and cooler in summer.”
UKGBC’s chief executive Simon McWhirter described the current building standards as “dangerously lax.” Yet he argues that they do not do enough to address the hazards of increasing extreme heat. He remarked,
“The way we are building new housing is not adequate to the climate change we are already seeing, never mind the even hotter weather that’s coming.”
McWhirter cautioned that constant health warnings are going to be the new normal. Vulnerable populations, like the elderly and very young, will be hit the hardest. He asserted that
“What we are facing is climate brutality. That is the reality of the hotter weather coming down the track.”
Ministers are reportedly seeking to offer £500 million in subsidies to install AC units around the UK. It’s the first time they’ve moved to do so given these forecasts. This new focus takes place against a backdrop of increasing temperatures and emergency demands for home cooling needs.
Part O of the UK’s building regulations came into force in June 2022 to stop new homes overheating. It’s not enough, say some experts, who believe it largely fails to address the looming crisis head-on. McWhirter condemned the Future Homes Standard (FHS) due to arrive soon, explaining,
“The FHS does not address this threat properly.”
A government spokesman has today defended their initiatives, pointing to a continuation of work to make building standards more stringent. They stated,
“We know the importance of keeping homes cool in hot weather. That’s why building regulations require new homes to be built to reduce the risk of overheating and through the future homes standard consultation we are exploring how to further improve protections.”
This idea is supported by experts who all agree that we need to move to more efficient, better cooling systems. Traditional “air to air” heating and cooling approaches face increasing limitations against “wet” heating systems that use water to provide heating through radiators. Given climate projections that foretell heatwaves becoming more frequent and severe, swift action must be taken to protect public health and keep homes safe.
As discussions continue around air conditioning subsidies and improved building practices, it is evident that a proactive approach is needed to address the looming threat of overheating in British homes.