Adapting dwellings for heat waves

Abstract The research presented in this paper investigates combinations of interventions for adapting dwellings to help adequately cope with future heat waves. The effectiveness of a series of passive heat wave mitigating interventions was assessed for Victorian (late 19th century) terraced houses in the UK, using dynamic thermal simulation coupled to a nodal airflow model. The interventions comprised a range of additions and modifications to solar shading, insulation and ventilation. It was found that for a predicted test reference weather year in the 2080s, the overheating problem could be addressed by purely passive means. The most effective interventions for reducing overheating were found to be wall insulation (where external performs better than internal) and measures to reduce solar heat gain, such as external window shutters and painting the external walls a lighter colour. Other interventions were found to be less effective, such as a lighter coloured roof and increased levels of loft insulation. Further research is proposed to investigate the effect of different heat wave durations and also more extreme weather years, where additional low energy interventions (for example fans) may be necessary.