Predicting Indoor Environmental Health Risks to Support Equitable Retrofit Policy in the UK

Homes in the UK are responsible for a significant amount of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, so improving the energy efficiency of homes is an important part of tackling climate change. At the same time, the UK is experiencing warmer temperatures, more extreme weather, and changing rainfall patterns. These changes can increase problems such as damp, mould, poor indoor air quality, and overheating in homes, all of which can affect people’s health.
Poor housing conditions already contribute to physical and mental health problems, particularly for people living in low-income households and other disadvantaged communities. Improving homes has the potential to improve health and reduce pressure on the NHS. However, if energy-efficiency improvements are not designed for future climate conditions, they could unintentionally increase risks such as mould growth, indoor air pollution, and overheating.
This project will use information already collected from 700 homes in Bradford through existing research programmes (INGENIOUS and HEALTHY HOMES). Using these data, the team will develop new ways to predict health risks inside homes, including mould, indoor air pollution, and heat stress, under different future climate and housing scenarios.
The project will create tools that can help identify which homes and households are most at risk and assess how different energy-efficiency improvements may affect health. In the longer term, the findings will support housing providers, policymakers, and communities to make informed decisions that improve health, reduce inequalities, and ensure that housing improvements are effective in a changing climate.