There is growing awareness of the overheating risks in new-build properties in the UK. However, this tends to be considered a problem principally for the southern regions in the UK, only becoming a serious issue in the North of England in the medium term and in the long term for Scotland. This notion tends to be largely predicated upon climate change predictions, differences in latitude and summer air temperatures. This paper describes the results from Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) studies over a two-year period from 26 occupied new-build homes across Scotland which demonstrated incidences of overheating.Results suggest that low energy buildings are susceptible to overheating despite northerly latitudes, with 54% of houses studied overheating for more than six months annually, and 27% of homes overheating for less than 10% of the year.Evidence indicated that commonly used prediction tools do not appear to adequately anticipate overheating. This paper maps common overheating causes due to design and the role of occupants, identifying the risks due to the regulatory system, prediction and procurement processes, and the design and construction.A common finding was that design and occupancy factors appear to greater impact on overheating more than location and climatic factors.
Climate change and sustainability legislation in recent years has led to significant changes in construction approaches in the UK housing sector. This has resulted in the adoption of new building typologies, including the German Passivhaus (Passive House) standard. This standard aims to improve occupant comfort and energy efficiency, potentially changing the ways in which homes operate and how occupants interact with them. With increasing construction of low energy dwellings, there is an emerging gap in knowledge in relation to occupant health and wellbeing, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality (IAQ). Using data collected from a two year Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) study funded by Innovate UK, the environmental data (temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentrations) from five Certified Passive House homes in Scotland was compared. The results demonstrate problems with overheating with peak temperatures exceeding 30˝C. Imbalanced mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems were identified in 80% of the dwellings and inadequate IAQ was found due to poor ventilation. Only one of the Passive Houses studied exhibited thermal conditions and IAQ which were, on the whole within Passive House parameters. This paper outlines the insights and the main issues of Scottish Passive House in the broader context of sustainability.
In recent years, thermal performance improvements have been applied to an increasing number of historic buildings towards the achievement of the legally binding Scottish carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions. Over 20 % of the built environment in Scotland was constructed pre 1919 and the targeting of fabric improvements in these buildings can pose a performance risk if inappropriate measures are applied. This paper discusses through a case study a Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) approach used in conjunction with the design process for refurbishment of a community owned historic building, located in Arisaig, Scotland. The community received funding to improve the energy performance of this nineteenth century stone building and committed to a 75 % reduction in CO2 emissions. BPE was conducted in 2014 as part of the design process and repeated post-refurbishment in 2015 to validate the design. The initial BPE identified high heat losses, inefficient heating and lighting systems that resulted in occupant discomfort, high running costs and consequently the loss of a community facility during the winter months. The resulting BPE quantified improvements to the building fabric, occupant comfort and reduced energy consumption, which advocated this design approach as a beneficial tool for informing historic building refurbishment.
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