Dr Shaun Fitzgerald (University of Cambridge)                            HRSC0019

Written evidence submitted by Dr Shaun Fitzgerald (Director at Centre for Climate Repair, University of Cambridge)

1. What evidence exists on the relationship between heat and human health (mortality and morbidity), and which communities are worst affected?
• Data from ONS should be available. Figures from the heatwave in France from a similar data source were compelling.
2. How can sustainable cooling solutions and adaptation strategies be implemented in such a way as to minimise overheating, reduce energy consumption and prevent overloading of the electricity grid during peak demand?
• There are a number of cooling solutions available which building users should know about. These include:

a)      cooling of buildings at night when the energy load is lower, especially where buildings are more thermally massive. This can reduce the energy demand at peak times later in the day.

b)      keeping windows closed and curtains/screens drawn from around mid-morning to shield the interior environment

c)       investigation of the potential for evaporative cooling systems especially in dry conditions but where there is plenty of water available

3. What actions can be taken to protect those most vulnerable to the impacts of extreme heat?
• Crucially information on how to keep cool, because culturally people in the UK are not as accustomed to coping mechanisms and behaviours as people from different climate zones.
• Potentially access to buildings where there is air-conditioning
• Lastly emergency air-conditioning units for certain locations such as hospitals/critical care facilities and facilities for the more vulnerable (e.g. care homes)
4. To what extent do the Government’s Climate Change Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Programme (as well as other related strategies such as the Net Zero Strategy and Heat and Buildings Strategy) identify and address the risks from extreme heat?
5. Does the current planning framework do enough to encourage heat resilience measures such as cooling shelters, water bodies, green infrastructure and shading to be integrated into urban planning? Where such measures are incorporated, how accessible and successful are they?
• There is always more that can be done. It is possible that more could be done in terms of provision of shade (e.g. trees) as part of planning.
6. What can be done to protect the UK’s existing public and private sector housing stock from the impacts of extreme heat while ensuring that homes are sufficiently warm in the winter months?
• Better insulation in fact helps with keeping cool in summer as well as keeping warm in winter with lower heating bills. This is especially true if home have thermal mass on the inside which is cooled at night through ventilative cooling.
7. What role might reversible heat pumps (which can act as both heating and cooling systems) and other emerging technological solutions, such as the development of smart materials, play in meeting future cooling demands?
• Reversible heat pumps could be helpful – and this could be considered as a feature for all future installations. However, there are limitations because underfloor heating is ideally suited to winter but underfloor cooling is less optimal for summer. Nevertheless, given the infrastructure is potentially available for marginal added cost (once a heat pump is being installed for heating), this should be considered.
8. How can cleaner refrigerants with low or zero global warming potentials support the UK’s cooling needs while contributing to the national emission reduction targets?
• Cleaner refrigerants typically have lower coefficients of performance (i.e. use more energy), but they should be used in order to reduce the problem of leaking of CFCs etc. Leaking of conventional CFCs is a real problem and will be even more so if they are retained whilst more heat pumps are installed.
9. Does the Government’s Future Homes Standard adequately consider overheating in homes? If not, what additional elements should it include?
• More consideration should be given to the role of thermal mass in a home and it potential role in keeping occupants cooler (and safer) in hot summer conditions, especially in areas outside of urban heat islands since night time temperatures do fall to useful levels and night-cooling of interior thermal mass is very helpful.
10. How effectively is the Government working across departments and with local authorities to ensure a coordinated approach is taken to heat resilience?
• Unknown – but there does not appear to be a coherent message of ‘how to cope in a heat wave’, and hence more could probably be done.
11. Does the UK need a dedicated Heat Resilience Strategy? What lessons can be learned from other nations when it comes to national strategies for heat resilience?
• We do need a Heat Resilience Strategy – and indeed much can be learned from other countries with hotter summer conditions in terms of not just building standards, but suggested behavioural norms.

August 2023