Overheating in buildings: better prevention than cure

Ingenium always tries to avoid the application of áctive cooling by providing alternatives that are more energy-friendly and sustainable. Summer comfort simulation is therefore standard in every project. However, there are also a number of principles that must be taken into account right from the design phase. Those starting points are based on the Quadras Energetica principle:

• Limit cooling demand
• Fill in the rest sustainably by using passive cooling
• Take advantage of energy exchange in the event of simultaneous cooling and heat demand
• Is active cooling unavoidable? Then deploy them efficiently!

Keeping these principles in mind, we can offer some general tips:

1. Passive measures to reduce the chance of overheating
   
   By applying passive measures we can reduce the chance of overheating and therefore keep the final cooling demand low. Some possibilities are:
   - Provide glass with a sufficient solar factor
   - Provide exterior shading on the east, south and west building sides. Indoor shading has little to no effect. Ideally, use mobile shading controlled according to solar radiation. Another option are fixed shading elements verified based on simulations.
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2. Fill remaining cooling demand sustainably
   
   Provide a ventilation strategy that uses colder outside air at night to cool the building mass. This can be done through grilles or automatically opening windows, or through a ventilation system already in place. Release as much of the building mass as possible by avoiding raised floors and suspended ceilings as much as possible.
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3. Is there simultaneous cooling and heat demand?
   
   Ensure that an energy switch between the two is possible. For example, heat extracted from the south side of the building can be raised to a higher temperature via a heat pump and implemented in the north side.
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4. Supplement with active cooling in a sustainable way
   
   If active cooling (and heating) are unavoidable, deploy them efficiently. This can be done in a sustainable way by using a BTES or Cold Heat Storage, for example.

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Some observations here are that there is a tension between the provision of passive measures (shading) and daylighting. The necessary comfort and daylight simulations can help find a good balance here. In addition, comfort and thus overheating is strongly person-related. When users can intervene in their comfort (e.g., by opening a window), higher temperatures are perceived as acceptable.

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Do you have more questions so you can keep your cool this summer too? Then contact our expert Raf De Herdt at raf.deherdt@ingenium.be