How energy upgrades can boost health at home

While it’s not a surprise that upgrading homes to make them more energy efficient results in lower household bills, a new study by Sustainability Victoria and UTS has found that even relatively minor adjustments to aging housing stock can also lead to better health and quality of life — particularly for vulnerable Australians.

The study, which involved Sustainability Victoria delivering free retrofits to 1000 households in Melbourne’s western suburbs and the Goulburn Valley, is said to be the first in Australia to quantify the broader impacts of such home improvements. It has important policy implications — the upgrades, costing on average $2809, have been found to pay for themselves within three years, thanks to energy and healthcare savings.

Academics from two research groups at UTS — the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, and the Institute for Sustainable Futures — were engaged by Sustainability Victoria to conduct a three-year trial of two sets of households.

The first set received the upgrades — such as insulation, draught sealing and space heating — before winter, the second after winter. All the participants were on a low income and had a chronic health condition, and most were elderly.

The trial found that temperatures in the first set of homes increased by 0.47°C in the morning, the coldest period of the day, reducing by 43 minutes the time that residents spent in conditions below the World Health Organization’s recommended ‘healthy winter indoor temperature’ of 18°C.

Residents reported feeling warmer and noticed less condensation, meaning less likelihood of damp and mould, and experienced improved mental and physical health, including less breathlessness.

“We also saw improvements around important aspects of quality of life, such as reduced anxiety and increased feelings of safety and comfort,” said Rosalie Viney, Director of the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation.

Residents’ gas bills over winter dropped by $85 (meaning lower greenhouse gas emissions), and they used fewer medical services than the second group, resulting in an $887 saving to the healthcare system. The study found that the upgrades would save nearly $5000 over 10 years.

One study participant, Heather, told Sustainability Victoria that her family now visited her in winter, thanks to her house being warmer. Another, Carol, said: “If I can keep myself healthy and warm, my anxiety stays away. If I’m mentally okay, then my physical [health] is much better.”

“There’s an absolutely critical need for Australia to improve the quality of its existing homes,” said research lead Kerryn Wilmot, from the Institute for Sustainable Futures. “Nearly half of Australian homes are estimated to have an energy rating of below two stars, compared with the seven stars mandated for new homes. It’s crucial that we start overhauling substandard housing stock in Australia — especially for vulnerable members of the community.”

The full report can be read here.

Image credit: iStock.com/Maryviolet