Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, has called on the government to provide more clarity on its plans to adapt the UK’s buildings to heatwaves
In a letter to the Levelling Up Secretary of State, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, the EAC has asked the government about its plans for protecting refurbished buildings in the UK from overheating.
The move has come after the government’s response to the recent Committee report didn’t directly address this growing concern.
Heatwaves are having socio-economic impacts
In a new inquiry into heat resilience and sustainable cooling, the EAC found that increasing levels of heat impacted health, well-being, and economic productivity in the UK.
The increased severe weather is costing thousands of lives and billions of pounds each year.
Over 4.6 million UK homes experience overheating during summertime
If global temperatures warm by 2°C, the number of homes affected by heatwaves could rise to 90%.
An EAC report published in January 2024 concluded that protecting UK buildings from heat waves has a clear social and economic case.
The government must do more to protect UK buildings from heatwaves
The UK government signed up to the Global Cooling Pledge in December 2023, agreeing to include passive cooling and energy efficiency measures in national building codes for new and refurbished buildings.
Although Part O of the UK’s building regulations offers guidance on mitigating overheating in new residential buildings, this does not currently apply to refurbishments.
“We again urge the government to clarity how it intends to meet its Global Cooling Pledge commitment in respect of refurbished buildings,” wrote Dunne.
“We support an extension to Part O of Building Regulations to cover refurbishments as the most effective and straightforward method of achieving this.”
Recommendations for increasing green spaces in urban areas
Increasing green spaces in urban areas, such as increasing the number of parks, trees, and green roofs, can have significant cooling effects in built-up areas. These measures can be implemented to protect UK buildings from heatwaves.
They can also have benefits for well-being, health, air quality, and biodiversity.
The EAC recommends:
- Introducing a legal requirement to protect and enhance green space
- Requiring local authorities to use Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework, a tool that helps planners to design nature-rich local areas, which is currently optional
- Incentivising the uptake of green roofs.
