Monitoring the impact of climate adaptation policy

Extended abstract 4-133-26

Rising summer temperatures are increasing the risk of overheating in UK housing, exposing limitations in a regulatory framework historically focused on winter energy efficiency. Recent reforms to the Building Regulations, most notably the introduction of Part O (Overheating), alongside Parts F (Ventilation) and L (Energy Efficiency), represent a significant policy shift towards climate adaptation in residential construction. This study evaluates early evidence of the effectiveness of these regulatory changes, using large-scale Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data to assess whether and how dwellings across England are responding to climate change in practice.

Prior to 2021, overheating risk in new dwellings in the UK was addressed indirectly through the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for energy performance, which embedded simplified overheating checks within an energy-efficiency-focused compliance framework. The introduction of Part O of the Building Regulations marked a significant policy shift, establishing overheating as a distinct regulatory objective. This study examines whether this move from implicit, model-based control to explicit regulation is translating into observable changes in construction practice.

The EPC database for apartments constructed between 2021 and 2025 has been used to identify trends in both passive and active cooling strategies. Data has been analysed across building types, locations and regulatory frameworks. Analysis suggests that the introduction of overheating regulation may be a factor in the increasing adoption of passive-cooling strategies but the evidence is not consistent across the UK’s building stock. This study highlights both the potential and the limits of relying on compliance-based metrics to deliver buildings that are affordable, energy-efficient and resilient to climate change.

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