CIBSE was prominently featured on BBC News recently, discussing the crucial issue of overheating homes amidst the recent high temperatures in England.
With July and August temperatures reaching unprecedented levels, our expertise in building engineering has been highlighted as we offer vital recommendations to tackle this growing concern. In the BBC segment, a homeowner shared their experiences with heat mitigation strategies, while our own Technical Research Manager, Zoe De Grussa, provided valuable advice on keeping homes cool in an energy-efficient manner.
Zoe emphasised practical solutions, such as installing shutters and blinds, and shared additional zero-energy tips to provide immediate relief from the heat. Her insights underline the importance of addressing health risks associated with hot homes and offer actionable solutions for homeowners.
In summary, CIBSE has six suggestions for zero energy tips to keep cool:
- Keep the sun out. If you have external blinds or shutters, keep them closed whenever the sun can shine on the windows. If you don’t have external blinds, keep internal blinds or curtains closed during the day.
- Keep the hot air out. If it’s hotter outside than inside then opening windows will simply let hot air in. Keep windows closed during the hottest part of the day.
- Let cool air in. Open windows in the early morning, evening and overnight if it is safe to do so. If possible, open windows on both sides of the house to create a through-draft. If your home has more than one storey, open windows at the top and bottom of the house creating a chimney effect that will draw hot air up and out of the house.
- Stop baking. Try not to use a hot oven or other electrical appliances for long periods during the hottest parts of the day.
- Find your cool spot. If there is one part of your house that stays cooler, use it as much as you can.
- Keep your body cool. Drink cool drinks and take cool showers. Or put a damp towel around your shoulders. If you are still too hot, us a fan which will use a lot less energy than air conditioning.
CIBSE is currently revising TM59, our methodology for assessing homes for overheating, to ensure it reflects the latest advancements and insights. We are also collaborating with the University of Exeter to produce updated CIBSE Weather Data. This new data set will be based on the more recent weather projections produced by the Met Office. We are planning to launch these updates at our upcoming CIBSE Build2Perform Live event which will take place on 13 - 14 November 2024 at London Excel. This initiative aims to provide more accurate weather data to support better building performance and design.
We are proud to have our technical expertise recognised on such a prominent platform and remain committed to advancing solutions for the challenges facing our built environment.
Watch the full segment below: