Decarbonisation
risk is highest, such as dementia suites, bedrooms for people at risk of falls and assisted bathrooms.
Managing overheating and cooling requirements Alongside heating, care homes increasingly need to consider how they will manage overheating during warmer months, especially as Met Office research shows Britain will experience more frequent, intense heatwaves and hotter, drier summers. This is having a severe impact on the country’s most vulnerable people. In 2024, 1,311 deaths were linked to hot weather, with the highest mortality rates in those over 75 years old. To address this, Part O requirements,
introduced in 2021, are retained under the FHS and continue to set overheating limits for new builds. While under ongoing technical review, they remain part of the regulatory framework. This mandates internal temperature in new builds must not exceed 26 °C. While the regulations don’t currently apply to retrofit projects, it’s considered best practice to follow their principles to prevent overheating, especially when enhancing energy efficiency in care homes. This means care homes should also
consider cooling. Portable air conditioning units are easy to install, but are rarely energy efficient or economical. A good alternative for new builds is fan coil units (FCU), which deliver high-performance cooling and heating and are usually mounted on the ceiling, wall or floor. It’s important to choose an FCU that has been specifically engineered to be heat
pump ready. This ensures that it offers a compact unit size, air volume and acoustic performance without impacting its carbon footprint.
Conclusion Rising energy prices are placing care homes under pressure. For many, the answer will be to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise their systems to reduce costs while also ensuring residents have access to safe, reliable and controllable heating, cooling and hot water when they need it. However, there’s no single solution
that will work for every building. New- build schemes are likely to be designed around heat pumps and other low-carbon technologies from the outset, while retrofit projects may require a more flexible mix of heat pumps, electric heating upgrades and cooling solutions. The key is to take a whole-building
approach that considers resident comfort, hot water demand, building fabric, noise, safety, capital expenditure and long-term running costs. By doing so, care home
operators can future-proof their properties, reduce energy bills and create safer, more comfortable environments for people who live and work in care homes alike. n
Craig Dolan
SCAN HERE To find out more.
Craig is senior product manager for heat and hot water heat pump technologies at Dimplex. He has more than 15 years of experience in the low-carbon heating and hot water industry and a passion for sustainable technology. His focus is on developing and helping implement heat pump products that reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy efficiency in residential homes, as well as multi-occupancy and mixed-use buildings. He also works with government departments to help improve understanding of the needs of end-users, installers, housebuilders and developers, as well as energy infrastructures, to help speed up the delivery of the electrification of heat.
June 2026
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