The increasingly frequent heat waves that are hitting Europe and the forecast of rising temperatures in the coming decades are forcing a rethinking of buildings to guarantee the well-being of the occupants and adequate summer comfort. Examining the impact of these heat waves on environments therefore becomes a priority for agencies involved in the construction sector, as evidenced by Glass for Europethrough the information document “Glazing contribution to summer comfort” (the contribution of glazing to summer comfort).
What is summer comfort?
The concept of summer comfort can be described as “a satisfactory physical and mental state perceived by people in a particular building during the summer period”. It is therefore linked to the concept of thermal comfort, but the perfect, placing emphasis not only on temperature, but also on factors such as connection to the external environment, access to natural light and sufficient ventilation.
With the heat index vulnerability growing across Europe, due to an aging population and an increase in chronic diseases, summer comfort qualifies today as a social need. In fact, guaranteeing summer comfort means protecting the health of occupants and promoting worker productivity.
The role of glass
To withstand future heat waves and ensure adequate summer comfort, EU buildings need to use modern technologies glazing technologies, advocates of reduction of energy requirements and CO2 emissions. Solutions like the solar control windows in fact they allow to prevent overheating of the rooms and favor a continuity (bright, but not only) with the external environment.
The technologies available
While presenting itself, for the moment, as the main option in terms of thermal comfort in both the residential and commercial segments, air conditioning cannot be the choice of the future, as it is not compatible with the decarbonisation objectives of the European Union.
It is therefore necessary to encourage additional cooling techniques, active or passive, which do not lead to an increase in energy consumption.
This explains the growing interest in the high performance solar control glass, the use of which could reduce energy consumption by more than 27% across Europe by 2050.
To date, this solution is mainly used in commercial buildings and in the southern regions, but it could soon spread to colder climates and the residential segment as well.
To this are added, then, the dynamic glazing, capable of adapting to heat and sunlight according to weather conditions, and the shields, combined with technologies for energy production.
Source: glassforeurope.com