With the UK experiencing four heatwaves so far this year, Vent-Axia has sponsored a white paper examining the growing challenge of overheating in UK buildings. The ‘Solutions for Mitigating Overheating in Residential and Commercial Buildings’ report explores how architects are responding to the need to mitigate overheating in newbuild properties, amid tightening regulations and rising temperatures, and highlights the increasing role of ventilation as part of the overall strategy.
With more than 2,800 excess deaths estimated during the May and June 2026 heatwaves, overheating in our homes has become a serious public health issue.
Three-quarters of those surveyed in the white paper were actively considering ‘climate-responsive strategies’ that go beyond regulatory minimums when designing buildings. However, there are a range of challenges in mitigating overheating. As new homes become more thermally efficient to reduce carbon emissions and help meet the UK’s Net-Zero 2050 target, the risk of overheating is increasing. Some 77% of respondents believed that medium or high-rise residential buildings designed to Part L 2021 were at risk of overheating, with volume housebuilding not far behind at 68%.
When removing excess heat, Approved Document O of the Building Regulations 2021 prioritises passive measures to reduce overheating. Findings suggest effective mechanical ventilation is becoming an increasingly important part of the overall strategy, particularly where passive design alone cannot adequately remove excess heat. Some 69% of respondents cited Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) as the ventilation approach they use most frequently. In addition, almost six in 10 (59%) believe the Future Homes Standard will accelerate demand for intelligent ventilation systems capable of automatically responding to changing indoor and outdoor temperatures.
Vent-Axia’s latest range of MVHR units, the award-winning Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq, delivers coolth or heat recovery efficiencies of up to 93%. It also features intelligent automatic 100% summer bypass capabilities, offering free cooling. When free cooling via an MVHR summer bypass alone is insufficient to mitigate overheating, specifiers can consider MVHR systems with integrated DX cooling modules, such as Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq Cool-Flow. www.vent-axia.com