Thermal and health outcomes of energy efficiency retrofits of homes of older adults.

Mitigation of thermal stress and adverse indoor climatic conditions is important to older low-income populations whose age, health, and economic circumstances make them vulnerable to indoor environmental conditions. This research examines whether energy retrofits in affordable housing for older adults can also improve indoor climatic (i.e., temperature, humidity, air infiltration) conditions and whether such improvements correspond with improved health and comfort of residents. An apartment complex for low-income older adults in Phoenix was the study site. In 2010, renovations were undertaken to make it more energy efficient and to replace interior cabinetry, flooring, and paint with materials that had low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Fifty-seven residents from 53 apartment units participated in both baseline (pre-renovation) and 1 year post-renovation data collection trials. Environmental measures included temperature, relative humidity, and air infiltration. Health measures included general health, emotional distress, and sleep. Four questions addressed residents' perceptions of temperature quality. Results demonstrated a 19% reduction in energy consumption following the retrofit. In addition, fixed effects statistical models of the panel data showed significant stabilization of unit temperature from pre-retrofit to 1 year post-retrofit. Reductions in an apartment's temperature extremes of 27.2°C (81°F) and above also corresponded with improvement in occupant's reported health over the same time period, although not with occupant's perceptions of thermal comfort.

The effects of an energy efficiency retrofit on indoor air quality.

To investigate the impacts of an energy efficiency retrofit, indoor air quality and resident health were evaluated at a low-income senior housing apartment complex in Phoenix, Arizona, before and after a green energy building renovation. Indoor and outdoor air quality sampling was carried out simultaneously with a questionnaire to characterize personal habits and general health of residents. Measured indoor formaldehyde levels before the building retrofit routinely exceeded reference exposure limits, but in the long-term follow-up sampling, indoor formaldehyde decreased for the entire study population by a statistically significant margin. Indoor PM levels were dominated by fine particles and showed a statistically significant decrease in the long-term follow-up sampling within certain resident subpopulations (i.e. residents who report smoking and residents who had lived longer at the apartment complex).

Post-occupancy evaluation: an environment-behaviour technique for assessing the built environment.

This paper reviews the development, structure and process of post-occupancy evaluation (POE) as an environment-behaviour approach to assessing built environments of all sizes and types. It illustrates the use of POEs with three examples from the Health Care sector: The Canadian Hospital Evaluation Program, the Weiss Institute, and 18 independent-living apartment units. A comparison is made between POEs and the approach currently used by occupational therapy (OT) for environmental assessments. Recommendations suggest that OT's approach could be extended and strengthened through 1) incorporating POE methods and existing data from environment-behaviour studies; 2) the use of standard assessment procedures and well-validated measures; and 3) the development of a data bank on OT environmental assessments.