Could retrofitting smart solutions help in the fight against rising temperatures?

A recent article in The Big Issue highlighted the fact that heatwaves are becoming the new normal in the UK and many buildings are struggling to cope with the rising temperatures. Currently 20% of the country's residential building stock is likely to overheat during the summer months.

Why is this? It’s mainly due to millions of homes being built at a time when heatwaves were relatively rare events in this country but also because insulating homes against the cold has been prioritised over cooling them, which makes overheating worse.

But what’s the answer to the problem? Could residential developers use techniques similar to those being used by commercial building owners to address the issue?

What exactly is overheating?

To find a solution we must first understand the problem. Overheating is defined as: ‘conditions when the comfortable internal temperature threshold of 28^oC is surpassed for over 1% of the time.’ It is also noted that when the internal temperature exceeds 35^oC there is a significant danger to individuals of heat stress.

In 2018 the UK experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1910 and now the Climate Change Committee is predicting that such temperatures will be a regular occurrence by 2050. This presents a number a of issues as overheating properties are causing environmental damage, costing money and most significantly, threatening lives.

Young children and the elderly are most vulnerable. During a heatwave in 2003 the UK saw an increase of 2,000 deaths due to heat exposure. Experts believe this figure could rise to as much as 5,000 by 2080.

The benefits of retrofitting shading

The UK has an estimated 1.9 million non-residential structures including offices, hospitals, schools and shops, many of which will require major work to help achieve net-zero emissions targets and to reduce overheating. However, could the residential sector benefit from embracing the methods increasingly being used in commercial buildings to help combat the issue?

At Somfy we’re anticipating a growing trend for renovating existing building stock and retrofitting shading as a part of this in commercial properties across Europe.

Depending on the building, owners and developers are opting to install exterior or interior automated, adaptive shading, which is shading that adapts to environmental factors to protect the building and its occupants from the effects of the sun. For interior solutions, specialist fabrics can be used, such as those with a metallized backing that can help reflect heat out of the property. This can be a cost-effective approach to reducing soaring temperatures within existing buildings where exterior shading perhaps is just not an option.

In buildings such as schools or care homes, where a complete overhaul of infrastructure isn’t always feasible, along with other measures, automated internal blinds could provide a quick and effective way to help reduce the threat of overheating. They can also be controlled to adapt to the exterior environment meaning they can be programmed to optimise both the wellbeing of occupants and contribute to energy efficiency.

We looked at the importance of managing daylight with automation in healthcare facilities in a previous blog, but when daylight is harnessed in an effective way it can have a significant impact on not only patients but staff too. Studies show increased exposure to natural daylight leads to patients requiring less pain medication and staff are more alert as well as productive. Similarly, research into natural light in schools found that those students who were exposed to natural daylight in the classroom achieved higher test scores than those that aren’t.

In a residential setting there has been a sharp increase in demand for smart home technology as this allows occupants to connect multiple devices in the home via a smart home hub and this can include smart blinds. This approach gives homeowners greater flexibility of control whether they are at home or not. For example, if the temperature rises sharply throughout the day and you forgot to close the blinds before leaving, all it takes is the touch of a button via a smartphone and you can ensure you return to a cool and comfortable space.

How do we move forward?

The Big Issue article highlights a very serious issue with a large percentage of UK building stock, one that is putting people’s lives at risk and needs addressing. By embracing new technologies such as automated shading, homes and commercial spaces can be retrofitted or built in a way that allows for optimum temperature in both summer and winter. However, most importantly, be built in a way that protects its occupants and removes any risk to their lives.

To find out more about the products and services Somfy offer or how our expert team can help with your next project get in touch.