Climate Change Sensitive Overheating Assessment in Dwellings: A Case Study in Belgium

peer reviewedDue to the current rate of global warming, overheating in buildings is expected to be more frequent and intense in future climates. High indoor temperature affects occupant productivity, comfort, and health. Thus, it is necessary to predict the thermal performance of buildings concerning climate change. This paper applies a climate change sensitive overheating assessment method to a lightweight timber house in Eupen, Belgium. Three metrics are used, namely Indoor Overheating Degree (), Ambient Warmness Degree (), and Building Climate Vulnerability Factor (). The overheating risk is assessed under four climate scenarios representing historical and future scenarios using dynamic simulation tool EnergyPlus v9.0. This method accounts for overheating severity and frequency, considering zonal occupancy profiles and thermal comfort models. The results indicate BCVF