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After one of the warmest early summers on record and estimates of several hundred excess deaths in London, the Building Engineering Services Association says overheating is no longer a comfort issue but a mounting safety risk that demands changes to building standards, retrofit funding and heat‑resilient design.
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has warned that overheating is no longer a peripheral comfort problem but a growing building‑safety issue that demands policy attention. According to the original report, the association says the UK’s exceptionally hot, sunny and dry summer—described by the Met Office as among the warmest on record—has coincided with heat‑related mortality in urban areas, underscoring how acute and prolonged heat can turn into a direct threat to life. Imperial College London researchers have estimated several hundred excess deaths in London linked to the June heat, a reminder of the human cost behind the statistics.
Kevin Morrissey, BESA’s technical director, told ProjectScot that this summer’s pattern—less about single, dramatic peaks and more about “much longer and more relentless periods of heat stress”—signals a shift in the baseline climate that buildings must be designed to withstand. The Met Office’s provisional analyses for early summer 2025 show unusually high minimum temperatures and above‑average sunshine across England, with regional rainfall deficits amplifying urban heat stresses; climate scientists warn that such persistent warmth is likely to become more common as the climate changes.
The health implications are stark. Rapid attribution and health‑impact analyses led by researchers at Imperial’s Grantham Institute estimate roughly two to three hundred excess heat‑related deaths in London for the June–July event, with a substantial fraction of that burden attributable to human‑driven warming. Independent modelling published by University College London and others projects a steep rise in annual heat‑related deaths across England and Wales over coming decades unless adaptation is substantially improved; under higher‑warming scenarios and with demographic shifts such as an ageing population, annual fatalities could reach into the thousands by mid‑century. Campaign groups mapping local exposure have identified almost 5,000 English neighbourhoods that already face recurrent heat stress, including many containing care homes and hospitals, highlighting concentrated vulnerability.
BESA is pressing for concrete technical and policy responses. The association argues that a mix of passive measures (shading, insulation combined with ventilation, green infrastructure) and mechanical cooling should be mobilised, and it has urged changes to the UK’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme so that funded heat‑pump installations support both heating and cooling where appropriate. According to reporting by industry outlets, BESA says targeted financial support will be needed to ensure vulnerable households benefit from low‑carbon cooling technologies rather than being left behind by retrofit programmes that have so far prioritised heat loss reduction.
At the same time, professional bodies warn against narrow fixes. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers has long argued that overheating must be treated within building regulations through a holistic, year‑round design approach and robust performance assessment. Their position notes the paradox that greater uptake of mechanical cooling—without careful design and efficiency standards—could conflict with decarbonisation goals, so solutions must combine passive resilience, ventilation strategies and careful system control to protect both health and energy targets.
BESA also highlights a consequence of recent retrofit drives: the widespread fitting of more airtight, fire‑resistant insulation can, unless counterbalanced by improved ventilation or cooling, raise indoor temperatures and humidity and degrade indoor air quality. “Overheating is the most overlooked building safety issue,” Morrissey said in comments to ProjectScot, stressing that measures designed to reduce heat loss and improve fire safety need to be reconciled with the imperative to keep indoor spaces safe in summer heat.
The policy implications are clear and immediate. Campaigners and experts alike call for building standards and retrofit programmes to explicitly include overheating risk assessments, for nature‑based cooling and targeted support in heat‑vulnerable neighbourhoods, and for funding mechanisms to enable low‑carbon cooling for care settings and at‑risk households. BESA’s appeal to revise funding schemes to permit cooling‑capable heat pumps crystallises a wider need: adaptation must sit alongside decarbonisation rather than trailing behind it.
If policymakers are to heed the warnings from the Met Office and multiple research institutions, the next steps should combine regulatory change, targeted investment, and performance‑based retrofit practice so that homes and public buildings are resilient to hotter summers without compromising the UK’s net‑zero ambitions.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on 19 August 2025, and addresses current concerns about building overheating in the UK. No evidence of recycled or outdated content was found. The report is based on a press release from the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), which typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were identified. The narrative includes updated data on heat-related deaths and calls for policy attention, indicating a timely response to recent events. No similar content was found published more than 7 days earlier. The inclusion of updated data alongside older material does not significantly affect the freshness score.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The direct quotes from Kevin Morrissey, BESA’s technical director, are unique to this report. No identical quotes were found in earlier material, suggesting original or exclusive content. Variations in quote wording were not observed.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from Project Scotland, a publication dedicated to Scottish construction news. While it is a specialised outlet, it is not as widely recognised as major international media. The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is a reputable organisation, lending credibility to the report. No unverifiable entities or fabricated information were identified.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about the UK’s exceptionally hot, sunny, and dry summer, as described by the Met Office, are plausible and align with recent weather patterns. The estimation of several hundred excess deaths in London linked to the June heat is supported by research from Imperial College London. The call for policy attention and adaptation measures is consistent with ongoing discussions about building safety and climate change. No supporting details from other reputable outlets were found, but the information is consistent with known data. The language and tone are appropriate for the region and topic. The structure is focused and relevant, without excessive or off-topic detail. The tone is formal and consistent with corporate or official language.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is recent, original, and based on credible sources, with no significant issues identified. The information aligns with known data and is presented in a professional manner.
