Assessment of climate change on UK dwelling indoor comfort

摘要

The effect of future climate change may reduce heating load but will significantly increase overheating on a largely naturally cooled dwelling stock in the UK. Thermal mass significantly reduces the need for active cooling to be used. The air conditioning installation date for a range of building characteristics is presented with the amount of overheating occurring in a heat wave. The future weather file for 2080 with 90th percentile data show a large increase in overheating events and is considered too extreme. The need for active cooling in bedrooms is expected to occur around 2035 and is independent of a heat wave. Results for living rooms are more variable with thermal mass mitigating the adoption of active cooling by 40 years and 25% of the overheating in a heat wave event. Designers need to think about thermal mass usage in living rooms to cater for extreme temperature events rather than the whole of the cooling season to delay the adoption of active cooling.