High-performance glazing in addressing summer overheating risks

Extended abstract 8-202-26

This presentation examines the role of high-performance glazing in addressing summer overheating risks while improving occupants’ health and thermal comfort under rising cooling demand pressures.

The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) increasingly shifts the focus from energy efficiency alone toward buildings that deliver low-carbon, climate-resilient and healthy indoor environments.

The presentation focuses on the implementation of EPBD guidance on the energy calculation of transparent building elements (Annex I), highlighting how harmonised and robust methodologies for assessing glazing performance can translate regulatory objectives into practical tools for design, compliance, and market uptake. Particular attention is given to the treatment of solar gains and summer comfort criteria within national calculation methodologies.

Beyond EPBD implementation, the presentation demonstrates how high-performance and adaptive glazing solutions can enhance building resilience to heat stress without increasing reliance on mechanical cooling. In doing so, it highlights their contribution to broader EU policy initiatives, including the Heating and Cooling Strategy and emerging climate resilience and risk management frameworks.

Overall, the presentation argues that policy approaches to transparent building elements constitute a key lever for aligning energy demand reduction with indoor environmental quality, climate adaptation, and occupant well-being, thereby supporting the transition toward buildings that are not only energy-efficient, but also healthy and resilient.

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