Summer overheating potential in a low-energy steel frame house in future climate scenarios

Half of humanity now lives in cities and the cities of the world continue to expand. However, inappropriate design of buildings combined with heat island conditions in dense urban areas and the effects of climate change may result in unsuitable accommodation, which is inherently unsustainable.An underlying problem in the long term housing supply has led to demand not being met for many years. The British government therefore announced that it is committed to increase the rate of house-building and support the use of Modern Methods of Construction as a possible solution. Simultaneously, in an attempt to tackle climate change, an ambitious target has been set for all new houses to meet net zero carbon dioxide emissions from 2016.The Mark Group Research House, a super insulated steel frame home, was designed to test MMC solutions and innovative technologies, and to achieve ‘zero carbon’ without compromising user's comfort. A computer model was used to investigate the house's potential for overheating in today's weather as well as in future climate scenarios. The simulations have found that generally the house is comfortable but, despite the addition of mitigating strategies, there is a risk of overheating which is aggravated in future scenarios.

► Steel frame may be a quick and high-quality solution to deliver zero-carbon houses.
► Steel frame houses might present a risk of overheating today and in the future.
► Simulation has shown that the low-energy house studied is likely to overheat.
► Overheating is aggravated when future climate scenarios are considered.