Increases in cooling demand in residential property could increase by 85% if the climate warms by 4°C, Roger Littlewood, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), has warned.
Speaking at last month’s CIBSE Decarbonisation of Heating and Cooling conference, Littlewood said cooling was ‘no longer a luxury, but a necessity’.
With UK temperatures having already exceeded 40°C for the first time, climate adaptation needed to be addressed urgently, he added.
Climate Change Committee senior analyst Olivia Shears highlighted that more than 20% of homes in England already experience summertime overheating, and warned: ‘Without intervention, this could rise to more than 50% by mid-century. People know the risks; our focus now must be on the actions.’
CIBSE research manager Zoe De Grussa said CIBSE’s upcoming weather file updates, due out this month, will support better design decisions to mitigate overheating.
The afternoon sessions focused on heat pumps and heat networks, with experts stressing the need for greater collaboration and training to boost uptake. CIBSE technical consultant Colin Goodwin previewed CIBSE’s upcoming AM17.1, which will focus on retrofitting heat pumps in non-domestic buildings .
