Summertime overheating in the UK

The Government estimates that the average number of heat-related deaths in the UK will more than triple – to 7,000 every year – by the 2050s.

Our research provided the first evidence of the national incidence and severity of summertime overheating in UK homes and hospitals, whilst quantifying the influence of building design and occupant behaviour.

These findings have initiated and supported action by the Government and raised awareness among the public, professional institutions, construction companies, architects, local authorities, and housing charities – protecting the health of everyone in the UK, especially the most vulnerable.

Our large-scale field trials – CARB, DeDeRHECC and 4M – have created new primary data sets enabling the extent and severity of summertime overheating in UK homes and hospitals to be determined; the validation of dynamic thermal models; and the creation of new empirical models.

Meanwhile, our full-scale experiments using two sets of matched-pair homes with simulated occupancy have quantified the impacts of thermal mass, ventilation and shading – allowing us to explore ways to reduce overheating risk.

We have also undertaken England’s largest monitoring campaign and survey which provides the Government's primary source of information, identifying the homes most likely to overheat and the subsequent social impacts.

By championing the use of dynamic thermal modelling, we are now better able to evaluate overheating risk, ensure compliance, and devise mitigation measures to make buildings thermally more comfortable – and, crucially, safer – in extreme hot weather.