Air-conditioning: the impact of UK regulations, the risks of unnecessary air-conditioning and a capability index for non-air-conditioned naturally ventilated buildings

The UK building regulations have been rapidly evolving. New methodologies have been developed in part driven by the EU EPBD. In this paper the UK building regulations and energy performance calculations as they relate to naturally ventilated (NV), mechanically ventilated (MV) and air conditioned (AC) buildings are reviewed. Calculations are carried out for typical, best practice and advanced fabric and systems and observations made on how the results may influence future adoption of air conditioning. Calculations of overheating potential and risks of unnecessary air-conditioning are discussed. A design methodology is proposed that could help to address some of the risks and provide a capability parameter to quantify design quality and allow design comparison.