IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v134y2019ics0301421519305415.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Winter thermal comfort and health in the elderly

Author

Listed:
  • Hughes, Caroline
  • Natarajan, Sukumar
  • Liu, Chunde
  • Chung, Woong June
  • Herrera, Manuel

Abstract

There is said to be a strong relationship between low winter fuel consumption and increased cold-related morbidities and mortalities in the elderly. However, no study has so far investigated baseline domestic thermal conditions, energy and health in this demographic - a crucial gap given an ageing population. Hence we examine, for the first time, the validity of current thermal comfort standards and World Health Organisation minimum temperature thresholds in the 65 + demographic, through a longitudinal study of thermal conditions in homes of the elderly. We cover two typical winters using repeated monthly surveys and continuous temperature monitoring in living and bed rooms. Results demonstrate that the widely used ISO7730 model significantly underpredicts comfort in this demographic. We use our data to create a new model for the elderly, with a 40% lower error rate. Using calibrated computer models, we demonstrate that our model predicts a 44% reduction in winter heating demand, compared to the current model. Finally, our data provides little evidence for an association between low indoor temperature and healthcare visits for a variety of morbidities. These results question current assumptions around thermal comfort and health in the elderly, with potential implications for health and energy policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Hughes, Caroline & Natarajan, Sukumar & Liu, Chunde & Chung, Woong June & Herrera, Manuel, 2019. "Winter thermal comfort and health in the elderly," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:134:y:2019:i:c:s0301421519305415
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110954
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421519305415
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110954?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yohanis, Yigzaw Goshu & Mondol, Jayanta Deb, 2010. "Annual variations of temperature in a sample of UK dwellings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 681-690, February.
    2. Germán Ramos Ruiz & Carlos Fernández Bandera, 2017. "Validation of Calibrated Energy Models: Common Errors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-19, October.
    3. James C. Riley, 2005. "Estimates of Regional and Global Life Expectancy, 1800–2001," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 31(3), pages 537-543, September.
    4. Healy, John D. & Clinch, J. Peter, 2004. "Quantifying the severity of fuel poverty, its relationship with poor housing and reasons for non-investment in energy-saving measures in Ireland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 207-220, January.
    5. Kelly, Scott & Shipworth, Michelle & Shipworth, David & Gentry, Michael & Wright, Andrew & Pollitt, Michael & Crawford-Brown, Doug & Lomas, Kevin, 2013. "Predicting the diversity of internal temperatures from the English residential sector using panel methods," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 601-621.
    6. Ormandy, David & Ezratty, Véronique, 2012. "Health and thermal comfort: From WHO guidance to housing strategies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 116-121.
    7. Vadodaria, K. & Loveday, D.L. & Haines, V., 2014. "Measured winter and spring-time indoor temperatures in UK homes over the period 1969–2010: A review and synthesis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 252-262.
    8. Hamza, Neveen & Gilroy, Rose, 2011. "The challenge to UK energy policy: An ageing population perspective on energy saving measures and consumption," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 782-789, February.
    9. Roberts, Simon, 2008. "Effects of climate change on the built environment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4552-4557, December.
    10. Liddell, Christine & Morris, Chris, 2010. "Fuel poverty and human health: A review of recent evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 2987-2997, June.
    11. Critchley, Roger & Gilbertson, Jan & Grimsley, Michael & Green, Geoff, 2007. "Living in cold homes after heating improvements: Evidence from Warm-Front, England's Home Energy Efficiency Scheme," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 147-158, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lee, Minjung & Ham, Jeonggyun & Lee, Jeong-Won & Cho, Honghyun, 2023. "Analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, and CO2 reduction of indoor space according to the type of local heating under winter rest conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    2. Tafavogh, Mahyar & Zahedi, Alireza, 2022. "Improving the performance of home heating system with the help of optimally produced heat storage nanocapsules," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 1276-1293.
    3. Karina Neira-Zambrano & Maureen Trebilcock-Kelly & Juan Carlos Briede-Westermeyer, 2023. "Older Adults’ Thermal Comfort in Nursing Homes: Exploratory Research in Three Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Fátima Lima & Paula Ferreira & Vítor Leal, 2022. "The Role of Energy Affordability in the Relationship between Poor Housing and Health Status," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2015. "Fuel poverty, affordability, and energy justice in England: Policy insights from the Warm Front Program," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(P1), pages 361-371.
    2. Fabbri, Kristian, 2015. "Building and fuel poverty, an index to measure fuel poverty: An Italian case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 244-258.
    3. Saska Petrova & Michael Gentile & Ilkka Henrik Mäkinen & Stefan Bouzarovski, 2013. "Perceptions of Thermal Comfort and Housing Quality: Exploring the Microgeographies of Energy Poverty in Stakhanov, Ukraine," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(5), pages 1240-1257, May.
    4. Schaffrin, André & Reibling, Nadine, 2015. "Household energy and climate mitigation policies: Investigating energy practices in the housing sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-10.
    5. Marlena Piekut, 2020. "Patterns of Energy Consumption in Polish One-Person Households," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-31, October.
    6. Willand, Nicola & Ridley, Ian & Maller, Cecily, 2015. "Towards explaining the health impacts of residential energy efficiency interventions – A realist review. Part 1: Pathways," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 191-201.
    7. Bouzarovski, Stefan & Simcock, Neil, 2017. "Spatializing energy justice," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 640-648.
    8. Burlinson, Andrew & Giulietti, Monica & Law, Cherry & Liu, Hui-Hsuan, 2021. "Fuel poverty and financial distress," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    9. Mara Hammerle & Paul J. Burke, 2022. "Solar PV and energy poverty in Australia's residential sector," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 66(4), pages 822-841, October.
    10. Hamza, Neveen & Gilroy, Rose, 2011. "The challenge to UK energy policy: An ageing population perspective on energy saving measures and consumption," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 782-789, February.
    11. Kahouli, Sondès & Okushima, Shinichiro, 2021. "Regional energy poverty reevaluated: A direct measurement approach applied to France and Japan," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    12. Kahouli, Sondès, 2020. "An economic approach to the study of the relationship between housing hazards and health: The case of residential fuel poverty in France," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    13. Li, Kang & Lloyd, Bob & Liang, Xiao-Jie & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2014. "Energy poor or fuel poor: What are the differences?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 476-481.
    14. Mohan, Gretta & Longo, Alberto & Kee, Frank, 2018. "The effect of area based urban regeneration policies on fuel poverty: Evidence from a natural experiment in Northern Ireland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 609-618.
    15. Stefan Bouzarovski & Saska Petrova & Sergio Tirado-Herrero, 2014. "From Fuel Poverty to Energy Vulnerability: The Importance of Services, Needs and Practices," SPRU Working Paper Series 2014-25, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    16. Banerjee, Rajabrata & Mishra, Vinod & Maruta, Admasu Asfaw, 2021. "Energy poverty, health and education outcomes: Evidence from the developing world," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    17. Juan Aranda & Ignacio Zabalza & Andrea Conserva & Gema Millán, 2017. "Analysis of Energy Efficiency Measures and Retrofitting Solutions for Social Housing Buildings in Spain as a Way to Mitigate Energy Poverty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-22, October.
    18. Yiming Xiao & Han Wu & Guohua Wang & Hong Mei, 2021. "Mapping the Worldwide Trends on Energy Poverty Research: A Bibliometric Analysis (1999–2019)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-22, February.
    19. Esperanza Vera‐Toscano & Heather Brown, 2022. "Empirical Evidence on the Incidence and Persistence of Energy Poverty in Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 55(4), pages 515-529, December.
    20. O'Sullivan, Kimberley C. & Howden-Chapman, Philippa L. & Fougere, Geoff, 2011. "Making the connection: The relationship between fuel poverty, electricity disconnection, and prepayment metering," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 733-741, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:134:y:2019:i:c:s0301421519305415. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.