Ibrahim, A. and Pelsmakers, S. orcid.org/0000-0001-6933-2626 (2018) Low energy housing retrofit in North England: Overheating risks and possible mitigation strategies. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 39 (2). pp. 161-172. ISSN 0143-6244
Abstract
In the drive to reduce space-heating demand and associated CO2 emissions as well as tackle fuel poverty, dwelling overheating and summer-time occupant thermal discomfort might be the unintended consequences of low-energy building retrofits. This paper presents the findings of a steady-state modelled low energy retrofit dwelling in northern England and its potential current and future climate overheating risks using UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) scenarios (2050 and 2080 High Emission Scenarios). Predictive findings highlight that retrofitting to low energy standards increases overheating risk over time, unless passive prevention measures are included in the retrofit design. In addition, the steady-state nature of the model might not fully capture the occupants’ exposure to actual future overheating risks. Among the most effective individual passive overheating mitigation strategies are temporary internal shading, permanent external shading, and night-time ventilation. Most effective is a combination of these adaptation measures, so that predictive overheating is minimised in a future changing climate, reducing the uptake of active cooling in retrofitted dwellings. Practical applications: Much research focuses on building overheating risks in the warmer South-east of England. However, this paper highlights how dwelling retrofit in north England (Sheffield) also can lead to increased dwelling overheating risk, unless passive design measures are included in the retrofit design. Among the most effective individual passive overheating mitigation strategies are solar shading devices and increased night-time ventilation, though ideally different measures are combined. Using future climate scenarios highlights that retrofits designed today might not be able to provide occupant thermal comfort in a future warming world.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 The Authors. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Building Services Engineering Research and Technology. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Architecture (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 05 Jan 2018 09:25 |
Last Modified: | 19 Apr 2021 16:16 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0143624418754386 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:125578 |