More than nine out of ten architects are setting their standards higher than the minimum required by the new Part O regs on combatting overheating in homes, according to a poll by Pilkington UK to mark 12 months since the rules came into force.
Nearly a third (32%) of respondents said extreme heatwaves such as those seen around the world this summer would be the biggest factor in influencing greater measures to keep homes cool over the next five years.
Some 57% said they found it easy to comply with Part O, while 70% said they were specifying more solar control glazing since the new regs were introduced.
Some 86% agreed that solutions for combating overheating like solar control glazing are becoming increasingly important to new UK homes as the country becomes more accustomed to experiencing extreme heatwaves due to climate change.
However, 14% said they most commonly incorporate air conditioning systems to help limit overheating, despite Part O specifically insisting that architects exhaust all passive measures for mitigating overheating before considering mechanical cooling.
Phil Brown, European regulatory marketing manager at Pilkington UK, said: “Solar control glazing has historically only had a small role to play in UK residential building design due to the country’s more temperate climate. But changes in regulation, climate and energy efficiency ambitions are making it a more essential material of choice for windows and glazed elevations.
“It’s incumbent on manufacturers to continue to innovate to provide more choice for architects in solar control glazing, enabling them to meet their clients’ demand for homes that go above and beyond in protecting residents against overheating.”
https://www.pilkington.com/en-gb/uk
