As Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly experience warmer summers and more frequent heatwaves, a national design guide is highlighting the important role shading can play in making homes more resilient to rising temperatures.
Shading for Housing: Design Guide for a Changing Climate warns that by the mid-2030s, around 90% of the UK’s housing stock could be at risk of overheating as temperatures continue to rise. For homes built for a cooler climate, adapting buildings to cope with hotter conditions is becoming increasingly important.
Produced by housing, architecture and building performance specialists, the guide argues that shading should be considered from the earliest stages of housing design and development, rather than being treated as an optional feature.
The principle is simple: prevent excessive solar heat from entering buildings before it reaches the glass. The guide highlights measures such as shutters, awnings, external blinds and overhangs, which can significantly reduce indoor temperatures during hot weather while still allowing natural light and ventilation. These approaches are considerably more effective than internal blinds, which only deal with heat after it has entered the building.
As heatwaves become more frequent, shading can help homes remain comfortable during hotter weather while reducing reliance on energy-intensive cooling technologies. The guide also highlights opportunities to incorporate shading into retrofit projects alongside insulation and energy efficiency improvements, helping homes stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
The publication also emphasises the wider health benefits of climate adaptation. Overheating poses increasing risks, particularly for older people, young children and those with existing health conditions. Creating cooler homes can help communities become more resilient to periods of extreme heat while improving quality of life.
Nature-based solutions also have a role to play. The guide highlights how trees and planting can provide shade during summer months while allowing sunlight through in winter, delivering benefits for biodiversity, neighbourhood character and thermal comfort.
As temperatures continue to rise, designing homes that can stay cool naturally will be an important part of creating healthy, comfortable and climate-resilient communities across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Read the publication here.
How is this helping dCIoS adapt to climate change?
HBEA 1: Working with relevant agencies and our communities, develop a climate change awareness campaign to inform stakeholders, including the public of the projected range of changes and their impacts alongside how we are adapting and what we can all do to respond.
HBEA 2: Public authorities to continue to provide timely & localised information on climate change impacts to enable appropriate adaptation planning by all.
HBED 1: Provision of funding and guidance for properties to be retrofitted in line with New Building Regulations Part O to prevent buildings overheating and/or reduce heat loss in winter.
