Cooling is hotting up in the UK

Abstract

The cooling of buildings is currently responsible for about 20% of total electricity use worldwide. It is estimated that the electricity needed for cooling will more than triple by 2050. Despite this concerning outlook, little attention has been paid to cooling demand in policy and research in the United Kingdom (UK). The demand for space cooling in the UK’s domestic and non-domestic buildings is currently small—about 10% of total electricity use. However, this has the potential to increase as the climate warms and expectations of comfort grow. This paper reviews UK cooling demand and how this has been considered in energy policy. Following a thorough review of the existing literature using a cooling decarbonisation framework (Avoid, Improve and Shift), it is clear there is a limited understanding of the future UK cooling demand for domestic buildings in a warmer future as well as how policy makers and households should act. More importantly, this sector appears under-represented in the UK research and policy landscape compared to heating despite obvious technological crossovers associated with electrification. Several policy and research recommendations have been made based on these findings.