Examples of Action Being Taken by Housing Providers___

OVERHEATING RISK MANAGEMENT

The Zero Carbon Hub team was fortunate enough to spend nine days discussing, on a one-to-one basis, strategies and planned actions for managing overheating risk being taken by one housebuilder, four housing associations and four local authorities.

This slide pack sets out a sample of those actions. It also covers common issues and barriers the case study organisation told us they face, some of which can only be resolved by national or local-level policies.

Each of the nine organisations the Zero Carbon Hub met with had one thing in common: they are experiencing few overheating problems at present, but they “know it’s coming”. All were acutely aware that as the climate changes, their risk exposure is likely to grow.

Each organisation had also taken steps to manage the risk, but felt there was more they needed to do. An exception was Case Study 2 (HB2) who felt they had a detailed understanding of the issue in one area of the business, and intend for their approaches to be shared with the rest of the organisation in question.

To date, meeting existing legal requirements and standards was generally given precedence by case study organisations over implementing solutions to reduce the potential for overheating.

Introduction___

This slide pack is intended for housebuilders, housing associations, local authorities and private landlords. It provides examples of strategic actions being taken by nine organisations (with housing responsibilities) to manage the risk of overheating in their stock. It should be read in conjunction with the “sister” packs. See the next slide for further information.

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Zero Carbon Hub Project Team:Nicola O’Connor, Prof.Bill Gething and Dr Rachel Capon

Acknowledgements___

This slide pack is part of series produced by the Zero Carbon Hub for the Overheating Risk Management Project.

The aim of the project is to assist Housing Providers with working through how to determine if any of their stock is at risk of overheating as the climate changes, and what strategic steps and internal processes they intend to put in place to manage the risk.

See:The Zero Carbon Hub would like to thank the nine organisations who gave up their time to take part in this study (the “case study” organisations).

We are also hugely grateful to our partners: the Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service, Public Health England, CITB, the Structural Timber Association, Kingston upon Hull City Council, Southend Borough Council and Cambridge City Council.

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Case study organisations___

Case Study 1 (LA1)Local authority in the South East of England

Case Study 2 (HB2) Housebuilder operating in the South of England

Case Study 3 (LA3)Local authority in the North East of England

Case Study 4 (HA4) Housing association operating in the South of England

Case Study 5 (LA5)Local authority in the

East of England4

Case Study 6 (HA6) Housing association operating

in the South of England

Case Study 7 (HA7) Housing association operating

in the North of England

Case Study 8 (HA8) Housing association operating

in the North of England

Case Study 9 (LA9) Local authority in the

South West of England

Scenario oneWe don’t think it’s an issue for us / it’s a low priority

Scenario threeWe’ve had some overheating problems and we want to have a plan for how we might avoid it in the future

Scenario twoWe haven’t had any /many problems but we want to check our current and possible future risk

Scenario fourWe’ve had some overheating problems and we’re satisfied that we have done all we can to manage the risk

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An organisation’s starting point is likely to affect how they wish to proceed and what level of resource will be invested in overheating risk management.

The case study organisations were at different stages of planning, however all nine fell into scenario 2 or 3.

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Strategic goals ___

Case Study 1 (LA1) will aim to use the establishment of their local authority as a “Smart City” as a hook for managing climate risks.

Smart meters and data collection in general will allow the organisation to get a good feel for the extent of overheating and watch how things change over time. It would also allow for smart solutions such as linking indoor temperature measurements to smart cooling/ventilations systems in future, whilst also avoiding overloading of the grid.

Case Study 3 (LA3) has an ambition to be a leading “Energy City”. They have a major programme of work including projects to generate energy from waste, wind power and a feasibility study to establish a network of pipes to distribute heat into homes and businesses from one combined heat and power source.

In addition, a large sum of money is being invested over the next ten years in new residential development and the refurbishment of the existing stock. A major contract has just been let to upgrade more than 2,000 homes, funded partly through the Energy Company Obligation and through private partners.

Their Local Plan and their Climate Change Strategy are being updated this year, and although both already state that new development should be planned to avoid increased vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, to date, this has focused mostly on flooding. Further consideration will be given to whether avoidance of overheating should be given greater prominence.

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Case Study 5 (LA5) will adopt their Climate Change Strategy 2016 – 2021 in Spring 2016.

The strategy covers both mitigation and adaptation measures. It acknowledges that summers with severe heatwaves similar to those in 2003 and 2006 could become the norm towards the middle of the century. It notes this is likely lead to “Increased incidence of heat-related illnesses including heat stroke, exhaustion, and cramps, and an increased risk of heat-related deaths”.

In addition, there could be a loss of productivity for local businesses and increased energy consumption for cooling and refrigeration.

The strategy outlines plans to include policies on overheating in the Local Plan which will support residents in adapting to the impact of climate change.

Overall, the local authority is developing policies intended to “design buildings which are simple to keep cool and do not overheat in hotter weather.”

Climate change adaptation strategies ___

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Case Study 9 (LA9) will develop its climate change adaptation policies as part of broader work on resilience planning. This will set out adaptation priorities which will be integrated into frameworks for tackling climate change and promoting energy security.

LA9 plans to update the relevant strategy document in 2016. A major part of the document is on improving the resilience and energy efficiency of the housing stock. At present the draft makes some reference to overheating: “we will seek opportunities...to reduce energy demand directly and indirectly through planning and urban design...

(and reduce the urban heat island effect to minimise overheating, make use of mechanical ventilation, and maximise passive solar design etc.).

LA9 will consider whether to include more detail on overheating risk management when the document is updated.

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Climate change adaptation strategies (2)___

Climate change checklists ___

Case Study 2 (HB2) said “we have set a commitment that all our developments must be adaptable to climate change. So we developed a checklist for our land and planning team to complete, with input from the technical team, before detailed planning submissions are completed. The aim is to highlight what the greatest risks are and the team is then required to demonstrate which measures they are incorporating.”

Areas covered by the checklist include:

Case Study 5 (LA5) will update their Sustainable Design and Construction Supplementary Planning Document to include information for project teams carrying out new development regarding ways to ‘design out’ the risk of the schemes overheating.

“Actively discussing overheating considerations during the early planning stage for the layout of the site and orientation of the buildings.

Providing openable windows and doors to encourage natural ventilation.

Specifying reflective material or lighter colours for the external walls.

Insulating hot water storage and distribution systems according to guidance provided in the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide 2010.”

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Fuel poverty___

Case Study 3 (LA3) is an area where just over 11% of the population are classed as being in fuel poverty. They are in the process of refreshing their Affordable Warmth Strategy and will explore expanding this into an “affordable comfort strategy”.

The “comfort” strategy would allow better integration of policies to tackle hot and cold homes and link the challenges of delivering energy efficiency and climate change adaptation. “It makes sense to link the two into a joint strategy to avoid energy being “thrown at the problem of overheating and to keep people’s fuel bills affordable.”

The local authority will also outline any steps taken to mitigate the potential for overheating through passive means in their next HECA return to government in 2017. To date, the report has included measures related solely to addressing the problem of cold homes, so this would be an important and symbolic change.

Case Study 5 (LA5) had questions about DECC’s Energy Follow-up Study, 2013. The study found that approximately 20% of the 2,600+ households surveyed reported struggling to keep one or more room cool during the summer. The local authority is keen to understand whether the homes which were too cold in that study are also the same homes which were too hot.

If this proves to be the case, then it is likely to be the case for the case study organisation too. Work they have already conducted to identify households in fuel poverty requiring insulation and energy efficiency measures (through, for example, thermal imaging) could be investigated further to see if these homes are also vulnerable to excess heat.

The Energy Follow-up Study carried out by BRE for DECC in 2013 found that 20% of the 2616 households interviewed in 2010/11 in England had difficulty keeping one or more rooms cool during the summer months.

Monitoring of a sub-sample of 823 homes confirmed that temperatures in the homes reporting overheating were 0.5°C to 1.5°C higher than inhouseholds who did not report any issues.

See www.gov.uk

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Case Study 5 (LA5) gave the go-ahead for the development of hundreds of zero carbon homes in 2015, ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses. This is a joint venture between the Council and a housebuilder and is one of the “largest carbon-neutral developments in the country.”

The partners on the project were keen to understand how a prototype of the highly energy efficient buildings would perform once in use.

A graduate student was invited to monitor factors like air quality and temperature in the home using sensors. They also conducted monthly interviews with the family about living there.

Some overheating was found in the prototype by the monitoring work, which has led to a change in the g values of the glazing being specified for the scheme to help overcome this issue.

Case Study 9 (LA9)’s policy is to “build new homes to high standards of environmental performance” and to “increase the comfort of housing and improve residents health – particularly the most socially disadvantaged who are also the most vulnerable to climate change.” LA9 will officially review whether the risk of overheating and strategies to avoid it should be covered in future updates to Local Development Frameworks.

Energy efficiency___

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Risk assessments ___

Overheating is sometimes linked to the over-occupation of dwellings. If an organisation’s risk assessment and/or modelling exercise assumes a certain level of occupation in a building, but in reality more people live there than assumed, then the internal gains will be higher than anticipated. The risk of overheating occurring would be higher in reality. For this reason, modellers are usually urged to err on the side of caution by assuming full occupancy of each bedroom in the building.

However, Case Study 2 (HB2) also sees the opposite scenario where units may have 2 or 3 bedrooms, but only 1 is normally occupied. In such cases internal gains could be lower than national calculation methodologies or modellers would assume (although the number of heat-generating appliances would not be expected to change significantly).

The company is interested in exploring how under-occupation could change their risk profile, and whether measures to mitigate overheating could be flexible enough to deal with situations where units are fully occupied, and also when they are not. For example, hot water loads may not need to be so high for an apartment block at 50% occupancy.

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Risk assessments (2) ___

Analysis for Case Study 7 (HA7) carried out by a consultant considered the potential overheating risk in the development of a care scheme for older people. The main purpose of the study was to assess the risk of summer overheating under current and future weather scenarios. Weather files used were generated by the PROMETHEUS project at Exeter University.

To assess the risk of overheating, including the likelihood and severity, the consultant used CIBSE criteria TM52:2013 ‘The limits of thermal comfort: avoiding overheating in European buildings’. Sample units were taken from the development - those considered to be the most exposed

buildings as well as where the more vulnerable residents could be.

A visual risk mapping exercise suggested that certain units could have a high risk of overheating.

Further information was provided on the types of measures that should be effective in lowering this risk.

In terms of next steps, HA7 will consider using this analysis as a case study to improve learning for future projects. For example, they will identify any practical challenges which occur when modifying plans to address overheating and determine how these can be overcome.

Case Study 9 (LA9) recognises that in order to effectively risk assess properties to determine the potential for overheating, a decision on which “future climate you are building for” is needed. Historic weather files will always be out of date and designing for a 2020s climate could perhaps be the minimum. When determining which weather files to use in risk assessments LA9 thinks it would be useful to understand the difference in costs of modelling to 2020, compared with 2050 and 2080 (and how feasible each option is).

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Vulnerable residents ___

Case Study 7 (HA7) will explore whether residents in care homes, who receive constant care and support, are less likely to experience the effects of excess heat in practice as a result.

Regular visits by care staff should mean issues can be spotted earlier and staff can help keep people cool. However, older residents or those with underlying health conditions in extra care schemes, who live more independently, will need extra attention during hot periods.

Developing robust policies to anticipate and respond to heat-related issues in care settings is therefore a high priority for HA7.

A key consideration is whether residents are mobile enough to physically open windows and doors themselves, or take other action to manage their comfort levels.

Whether “people can help themselves” is a necessary piece of information for the organisation’s risk management strategy. Those who can’t will need extra support.

Case Study 8 (HA8) is also interested in investigating further the potential for overheating in planned extra care schemes. This was flagged up because future residents of such buildings may be especially vulnerable to the effects of heat from a physiological perspective. They are also more likely to be at home during the day when solar gain is greatest and may have limited physical mobility.

The team will prioritise the checking of overheating risk in existing extra care schemes and aims to feedback lessons learnt into future designs and plans.

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Contracts___

Case Study 4 (HA4) recently updated their Employers Requirements (ERs) to include provisions on overheating.

They now require contractors building their new developments to comply with CIBSE’s overheating criteria (including in communal areas), plus the use of future weather files. As a result, detailed dynamic simulation modelling will be carried on every new Design and Build contract.

The team plans further implementation work to embed the ERs, such as processes to check the requirements are acted on, and will review performance over time to determine the impact of the new provisions.

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Contracts (2)___

Case Study 6 (HA6) re-tenders for the group of consultants and contractors it works with on a periodic basis. For the next tender there is an opportunity to consider what additional expertise is needed and also whether to engage consultants in a different way – for example, bringing in M&E consultants at the concept stage of projects during Design Review Meetings. They are considering whether they should introduce a minimum requirement for future contractors to be capable of performing dynamic simulation modelling and that conclusions of overheating risk assessment should be presented clearly and transparently. If designs are not tested with a thermal model, contractors may still be asked to “show how the design works to minimise overheating.”

More generally, HA6 will consider how they engage with their supply chain more effectively to “get products that work” and “design the building once”.

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Design guides___

Case Study 5 (LA5) is developing a Sustainable Housing Design Guide. It is intended to “ensure new homes are easy to maintain and are adaptable, both for residents and to future climate change” , and that the local authority “builds homes that are designed and built to high design and sustainability standards”.

It will apply to all new council owned or council commissioned new development.

The Guide is likely to include provisions such as (but not limited to):

o “Overheating calculations should include modelling for future climate scenarios (the weather files are to be agreed).

o Single aspect dwellings should be avoided.

o Priority should be given to architectural responses to overheating, for example design of building facades to utilise features such as solar shading.”

Case Study 4 (HA4) is also in the early stages of developing a Design Guide for their new developments. It is likely to reference “good practice” rather than dictating exactly what architects and designers should and should not do.

Their approach will acknowledge that ruling out “risky” design choices may not always be possible on smaller, constrained sites. However, the use of air conditioning as a standard design choice, is likely to be ruled out, due to concerns that residents may not be able to afford to run them (but a/c might be considered for residents in emergency cases). Shading is likely to be a preferred solution.

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Design guides (2)___

Case Study 6 (HA6) produced a thorough and comprehensive design guide in 2014 covering a range of themes. The guidance, intended for use by contractors, includes the following types of provisions:

o “The size, shape, height and location of windows should both optimise opportunities for natural daylight and beneficial solar gain and minimise extreme temperature variations over the year...Large areas of glazing should be used with care due to negative heat loss and/or increased risk of overheating via solar gain.

o Natural ventilation is a key factor in providing comfortable conditions and mitigating overheating risks to both communal areas and in individual flats. It is required in all units in addition to any mechanical ventilation.

o Openable windows, rather than doors should be provided to all habitable rooms which allow occupants to respond to different situations, including secure night-time and purge ventilation.

o Window design should ensure that adequate ventilation can be achieved with restricted opening mechanisms.

o Where windows are located in south and west facing elevations, they may require shading to prevent overheating. Sun path analysis should be used to identify areas of risk and inform design solutions.

The design guide was produced with advice from the organisation’s mechanical and electrical consultant. The team now intends to update it to ensure it reflects the latest advice, including from CIBSE and the Zero Carbon Hub. Greater consideration will also be given to the staging of technical responses over time as the climate changes, such as changing window specifications.

Lastly, the team is keen to ensure the new guidance is more widely used within the organisation and by contractors. They will raise awareness of the guide and develop clearer processes to ensure the provisions are acted on.

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Measuring temperatures___

Case Study 4 (HA4) has carried out a small monitoring project in one development to help them understand whether high temperatures were occurring.

Temperature loggers were installed in five units and temperatures recorded for nearly a year. Analysis of the results from one of the units suggests the property was not overheating according to industry guidance (CIBSE TM52).

The monitoring was part of a broader Post Occupancy Evaluation project. Further analysis in due to be carried out of the other four properties monitored.

Case Study 1 (LA1) is also considering carrying out temperature monitoring in residents homes. This would provide useful information, but would also be used to help them determine whether people’s perceptions of being “too hot” correspond with overheating guidance and criteria they will, in time, use in planning guidance and design guides.

The team noted there is currently no agreed, official definition of overheating or maximum internal temperature set in regulation for new build schemes. Although this may change, the organisation wanted to get a sense of their own residents needs.

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Measuring temperatures (2)___

Case Study 8 (HA8) also carried out a small temperature monitoring project in 2015 on one of their high rise blocks. The block had recently benefited from energy efficiency improvements.

Temperature sensors were installed in the bedroom and living room of one unit for approximately a month in August/September. The rooms faced South West, so there was a good chance they would receive high solar gains.

The results were analysed using CIBSE overheating criteria which suggested that the living room did not overheat, although the team noted it could be considered warm at times. The bedroom showed a more variable temperature range, particularly during the day.

Although the findings did not indicate a significant problem, HA8 is keen to understand the risk factors more deeply. They will consider monitoring for a second summer and carrying out a Building User Survey to understand the occupant’s behaviours such as window opening patterns and how they use blinds/curtains to limit solar gain.

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Extent of overheating___

Case Study 1 (LA1) agreed to begin logging feedback from staff to help them build up a picture of the extent of overheating in their area.

Members of the team are noticing instances of properties being hot during home visits or when inspecting units. It was recognised that systematically logging every such instance would be unrealistic, but finding a simple way to capture these informal “instances” of potential overheating as they happen would be useful.

Recording instances over time would show trends and also hint at where further follow-up action such as monitoring, advice for residents, or even adaption works may be needed.

Customer services team may also start to receive calls on this issue, so logging instances here too would also be helpful. The customer services team should be briefed in advance and note the property in question.

Surveys___

Case Study 4 (HA4) carries out satisfaction surveys for residents in newly completed units. These take place within a certain time period after residents move in. There are approximately 70+ questions.

Although new buyers are not raising issues at present, it was agreed that a “well phrased question” could potentially be included in the survey to enable summer comfort levels to be checked.

The organisation noted that the phrasing of the question in the survey would be important in order to obtain useful answers.

Case Study 1 (LA1) has the renovation and repair of certain tower blocks on the horizon. Although there does not seem to be an overheating issue in these blocks at present, these types of buildings are more prone to overheating than most. The local authority will consider prioritising the surveying of residents in such tower blocks first.

Case Study 3 (LA3) conducts a tenant satisfaction survey every year. This does not currently include questions on summertime thermal comfort. Although the local authority does not believe overheating is occurring at present, they want to keep it that way as the climate changes. With this in mind, they will consider adding a question in to future surveys, starting with just one tower block to trial the approach.

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Reviewing stock___

Case Study 4 (HA4) carried out a piece of analytical work to try to determine which units in their existing stock may have a high risk of overheating.

A spreadsheet format was used to list out all their properties, and then against these, assumptions on certain factors which influence internal temperatures, such as solar gain, thermal mass, air change rates were added. The assumptions used were taken from their SAP assessments and other historical data.

Each unit was assessed using SAP Appendix P benchmarks to judge whether they were low, medium or high risk.

They found that the approach was unable to perform the more nuanced triaging of schemes needed. This may have been because the assessments were based on assumptions rather than modelled data (it was considered unrealistic/disproportionate to collect data from across the whole stock). The exercise has however provided insight into the variables that matter – i.e. that the risk assessment is sensitive to a change in certain inputs.

Case Study 3 (LA3) intends to make use of the Climate Just tool to start to map areas of potential heat vulnerability in the city.

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Reviewing stock (2)___

Case Study 8 (HA8) has not needed to invest so far in looking across their stock as a whole (around 18,000 properties) to determine if there is an overheating issue.

Whilst it might be challenging to do this they will consider looking at the characteristics of properties that are known to have overheated and then determine whether other schemes or units in the stock have the same characteristics, for example when staff are visiting them or when they are being refurbished.

Asking staff, and particularly those in customer-facing roles, to keep an eye on the issue was also seen as a good strategy by HA8.

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Section 106 agreements___

A section 106 agreement is a planning agreement entered into by a developer with the local authority in which the developer promises that alongside the new scheme, additional infrastructure will be provided such as play areas, doctors surgeries, parking etc.

Often the section 106 agreement will require the developer to allocate a certain number of the homes being built as affordable housing. Housing Associations sometimes buy this affordable housing from developers to add to their portfolio, and as a result they have little or no control over the design strategy.

Case Study 6 (HA6) and Case Study 7 (HA7) will consider how they can better evaluate the potential for any overheating in units which have been or will be acquired under a section 106 agreement. Without such checks there is a risk that properties could be handed over which subsequently overheat and require budget for remedial works.

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Technical solutions___

All case study organisations considered that where physical works are needed, these could be staged over the decades if/as the business case develops and the climate changes.

However, they felt it would be vital to have a plan to manage the issue for the shorter-term e.g. over the next 10 years until, for example, supply contracts are updated.

Simple actions now include providing shading, ceiling fans, and advice on window opening.

They also felt it would be wise to ask architects to include capacity now to add additional measures to houses, such as external shading devices, should these prove to be necessary in time.

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Communal areas___

Case Study 7 (HA7) develops and manages care homes, extra care schemes and sheltered accommodation, in addition to “general needs” properties.

Care homes have communal areas where residents dine and watch TV. Such rooms are therefore occupied frequently during the day by groups of people and could become very warm if not well designed with plenty of shading and ventilation.

As such rooms will almost certainly be used by vulnerable people, it is a priority for HA7 to consider how to prevent overheating in communal areas in future schemes.

Case Study 8 (HA8) develops apartment blocks which also have communal areas where residents can gather. Such rooms are therefore occupied frequently during the day too. Staff have noticed that such areas are sometimes hot. It is therefore also a priority for HA8 to consider how to prevent overheating in communal areas in future schemes.

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Prioritisation___

Case Study 6 (HA6) is aware that there are many actions and measures that could be implemented to reduce the potential for overheating, but that not all are needed in the short-term or would be good value for money.

They felt a strategy which focused initially on “tightening up the areas they could control” was appropriate and pragmatic. For example, it would be a relatively simple exercise to check that windows provided can actually be opened (i.e. they are not fixed shut), that the summer bypass on any MVHR systems are working as intended, or that the insulation on pipework had been fitted properly.

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Customer satisfaction___

Case Study 2 (HB2) said they frequently need to balance and find ways to deliver the types of homes their customers want, alongside meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring properties are adaptable to a changing climate.

For example, their customers often want larger windows to provide plenty of daylight and to showcase views. Design choices, therefore, which limit window size as a strategy to manage overheating might, in this type of market, might lead to the units being viewed as less attractive to customers.

The company felt that when making choices about the types of measures to adopt to mitigate overheating risk, their acceptability to customers, as well as the effectiveness of the measures, should be taken into account.

The aim is to find measures which either have a neutral effect, or can drive up the value and attractiveness of the property.

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Reporting routes___

Case Study 3 (LA3) has a “hotspots referral network”. Hotspots is a multi-agency signposting network providing access to a wide range of partners in the area. It aims to provide a ‘single point of contact' service for issues relating to cold homes and fuel poverty support. There is potential to expand the service to cover referrals on heat-related issues.

Case Study 4 (HA4) expects to develop a brief to assist their customer services team in handling any reports of heat-related issues from residents. No such calls have been received to date, but it is recognised this could change as the climate changes.

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Delivering on the design intention___

Case Study 2 (HB2) raised the potential impact of product substitution during the construction phase of projects.

Replacing specified products with alternative products can affect the thermal performance of the building, which can lead to negative impacts, especially during warmer months.

One specific area they had focused on was to ensure that, where certain types of insulation had been specified for hot water distribution pipes, this was used in practice. However, they also noted that if products are procured late in the process, the specific model or type specified may not be available.

They found that, in practice, this type of scenario can be difficult to avoid, but raising awareness of the importance of certain products with the procurement team and the supply chain should limit the potential for inadvertent product substitution.

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Delivering on the design intention (2)___

Case Study 7 (HA7) noted that measures intended to minimise the potential for overheating could be perceived as “over-designing”, particularly by those who are less familiar with the issue.

As there are no specific overheating standards in Building Regulations, they felt it is too easy for measures such as shading devices to be cut during the construction process. This could result in measures needing to be retrofitted later if an overheating problem occurs –which is a more costly way to do things and risks budgets not being available.

Despite this reality, HA7 will emphasise the importance of overheating measures and the possible effect of changing specifications to their contractors.

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Case Study 1 (LA1) has a high proportion of stock owned by private landlords. Private rented housing is often associated with higher than average levels of fuel poverty and poor levels of energy efficiency. There is also a concern that the potential for overheating is not on the radar of private landlords in the area.

As a result, the local authority plans to produce guidance intended for target private landlords as a priority.

Sector-specific guidance___

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Feedbackloops___

Like the other case study organisations, Case Study 2 (HB2) is finding that cases of overheating are currently few and far between.

Where there have been cases, these have been linked to communal areas and corridors in apartment blocks becoming hot. This heat is then transmitted through the building into people’s homes.

Interestingly, in this case, the business produced guidance to assist their divisions with tackling the issue. In tandem, individual businesses have been finding novel ways to keep corridors cool in their own schemes. It was agreed that this learning within the businesses should be shared across the company and should also feedback into guidance issued from the centre.

Participants also felt that future definitions and standards on overheating need to set limits on temperatures within communal areas, and not only in occupied spaces. They also wished to see policy development draw on the experiences of their business which has been putting solutions into practice for a number of years.

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Awareness raising___

Case Study 1 (LA1) will consider how to raise awareness of and up-skill their staff on the potential for overheating in homes. As a starting point, they will determine what educational information is already available for use and consider whether this should be adapted (including publications produced by the Zero Carbon Hub).

For staff who make home visits, providing guidance to help them spot the symptoms of heat-related health problems such as dehydration, is deemed particularly important. Especially for staff who have caring responsibilities for vulnerable people.

For senior management, key messages and a narrative which sets out why the area is "ground zero" for heat risk will be developed - i.e. they are located in the South East of England, densely populated (one of the most populous boroughs in the country), heat-related issues are likely to be exacerbated by the urban heat island effect extending from London, and the population is set to double by 2050 with large vulnerable communities.

Not only are future summer temperatures in the area expected to be amongst the highest in England, but temperatures in the South and South East are rising faster than the rest of the country.

The local authority also plans to raise heat-related issues with local Councillors and through local forums.

Case Study 2 (HB2) also intends to take forward work to raise awareness of the potential for overheating with their senior management team.

One participant in the session described a situation where his team had worked for many years to adapt their designs to successfully solve any future overheating issues, but found they had to robustly defend the design decisions to prevent them being viewed as “over-designing”. Greater awareness and education on heat-related issues at the senior level would help to smooth the way.

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Advice for residents___

Case Study 6 (HA6) wants to ensure that residents are well equipped to help themselves and that suitable advice on managing heat risk is given by their housing team. For example, they will consider developing an “overheating checklist” for residents which helps them get the best out of the property, for example, advising on when is the best time to open windows or close curtains. The advice may also take the form of a poster in communal areas of apartment blocks.

Guidance will be produced for staff in customer-facing roles to ensure residents are given consistent advice during one-to-one contact.

Case Study 8 (HA8) will develop a policy on how to prepare and respond to overheating during heatwaves, and considers this particularly important for residents in extra care schemes.

The team agreed that providing advice in the run up to heatwave events would be useful, such as “don’t forget the weather is forecasted to be hot tomorrow...you can keep cooler by...”. Jugs of water and posters with key pieces of advice in communal areas will also be considered. Picking out especially vulnerable residents for a telephone call or visit to check they are ok may also be possible.

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Barriers and issues___

Acceptance of solutionsCare must be taken to ensure the preferred solutions specified in design guides are acceptable to residents. However, this needs to balanced with the longer term potential for dissatisfaction if properties do overheat.

Managing overheating across an organisationNew development “coming down the line” will pass to those with responsibility for existing homes who have fewer opportunities and resources to deal with any overheating that may occur. For example, although organisations may have schedules for re-visiting new build schemes again, refurbishment may not be planned for many years after completion. Therefore looking ahead is critical.

ConflictsBalancing requirements for safety by using window restrictors to prevent people falling out of windows in taller buildings with the need to provide adequate ventilation through window opening was raised by every organisation. These kind of conflicts should be routinely flagged in modelling exercises, with realistic assumptions made. Newer/innovative secure glazing solutions may be considered, but can be more expensive.

PlanningAll case study organisations oversee new development and were keen to see the planning process better acknowledge and accept the need for certain measures, such as shading devices, and ensure that planning officers are provided with guidance on the technical solutions needed to mitigate overheating. 37

Barriers and issues (2)___

FinanceWhilst there are opportunities to link adaptation works to regeneration programmes to prevent future overheating, budgets are tight and it is difficult to build a business case if there is little evidence there is problem i.e. residents are not raising issues.

Short-term prioritiesOrganisations were aware that as the climate changes, overheating is buildings is likely to become more common, and therefore preparations need to begin now. This need to plan should be done with care, and prioritised appropriately – proportionate to the level of risk.

Setting a precedentConcern that if changes are made to one property this may create an expectation that all other homes and schemes should receive the same, even if they are not overheating.

Lack of a strong driver to actUnless there is a strong “push” to adapt the existing stock, works would continue to be done on a case-by-case basis and prioritised on the basis of severity.

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Finalobservations___

Scale of the issueThere was concern that the overheating issue may be bigger than we think. Culturally people in the UK do not tend to complain about being too hot.

Avoid introducing heat-related issuesAmongst those with on-going housing management responsibilities there was recognition that refurbishment and repairs should “not make things worse” – i.e. consideration of the potential for introducing overheating problems is needed when carrying out major refurbishment or regeneration works.

Resident understandingIt was noted by a number of case study organisations that new homes being built are already complex for many occupants to “use” e.g. ventilation controls can be hard to understand. Care is needed to avoid installing measures to mitigate overheating which add to this complexity. Maintenance of measures will also be needed.

ConversionsCommercial blocks never intended to be residential buildings are being converted into flats. Case study organisations were concerned about the potential for conversions overheating and that this issue is difficult to control at the planning level due to permitted development rights.

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This slide pack is part of a series ___

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All are available for download at www.zerocarbonhub.org