Exploring probable futures of summer comfort in Dutch households: Phase 1: Anticipating the role of smart technologies in the dynamics of everyday life

Due to climate change, the frequencies, temperatures, and durations of heatwaves and levels of solar gain in the Netherlands are expected to increase. How Dutch households will adapt to this change is still uncertain. At this crossroad, it is important to ask where Dutch practices of summer comfort are heading and whether and how they can be steered in desirable directions. This report is the first in a series of three and focuses on the first part of the question: where are Dutch practices of summer comfort heading?

These reports are published as part of the NWO VENI project ‘Anticipating the Role of Smart Technologies in the Dynamics of Everyday Life’ (2019-2023). The overall aim of this project is to develop a new theory to better understand the changing role of computational technologies in everyday life and help technology developers anticipate future opportunities and risks during the design process. Summer comfort forms a case through which this theory is developed. The research project is conducted within the Future Everyday Group of Eindhoven University of Technology.