Overheating in buildings caused by improved insulation and lack of proper ventilation is causing increased illness and deaths for the occupants of both old and new properties.
New regulations in European countries designed to combat climate change by preventing heat loss from buildings has caused many homes to become dangerously hot, not just in summer months but all year round.
Researchers fear that as attempts are made to design more homes that are zero-rated for carbon, more and more of them will become health risks to those who live in them, particularly the elderly and young children. The old and very young do not have the ability to regulate body temperature and can overheat and die.
The NHBC Foundation, a UK building research group, says in a report that the worst-affected properties at the moment are small apartments and refurbished older buildings, where extra insulation means it is almost impossible to ventilate homes properly.
This is particularly bad in urban areas, where people do not open windows at night from fear of noise, pollution or crime. It is also made worse by the heat island effect, where buildings are still hot at night and the air outside may be warmer than inside.
In London, for example, the city temperature can be 9°C higher at night than the surrounding countryside. This pushes summer temperatures well over the danger limit for people over 65 and for very young children trying to sleep in the inner city. Opening windows would only make the situation worse by letting in even warmer air.
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