All 200 papers.

The complete bibliography and educational notes. Examples are illustrations, not reported study outcomes.

Cities & neighborhoods

Disproportionate exposure to urban heat island intensity across major US cities
Angel Hsu; Glenn Sheriff; Tirthankar Chakraborty; Diego Manya · 2021 · Nature Communications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22799-5
Finding or contribution: Across 175 large US urban areas, people of colour and people below the poverty line generally lived in tracts with stronger summer surface heat islands. The pattern was widespread rather than confined to a few cities.
Household relevance: Cooling investment should consider who lives in the hottest areas, alongside the temperatures themselves.
Illustration only: Compare shade and cooling access in two nearby rental neighbourhoods.
Limitations and applicability: Satellite surface temperature is an exposure proxy; it does not measure each resident's indoor heat or prove individual causation.
Reviewed correction notice: Publisher correction: missing figure legend and peer-review-file redaction; article HTML/PDF corrected.
Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK
Charlie J Tomlinson; Lee Chapman; John E Thornes; Christopher J Baker · 2011 · International Journal of Health Geographics · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1186/1476-072x-10-42
Finding or contribution: The Birmingham analysis combined heat-island mapping with population vulnerability to identify neighbourhood heat risk. Many residents classified as highly vulnerable were concentrated inside the heat island.
Household relevance: A citywide forecast can conceal neighbourhoods needing additional support.
Illustration only: A housing provider could overlay older residents' locations with local heat maps when planning outreach.
Limitations and applicability: Risk rankings depend on the selected indicators and their weights; this is a mapping approach rather than an intervention trial.
Attribution of mortality to the urban heat island during heatwaves in the West Midlands, UK
Heaviside C; Vardoulakis S; Cai XM · 2016 · Environmental Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1186/s12940-016-0100-9
Finding or contribution: West Midlands simulations showed that accounting for where people lived raised estimated mortality during the 2003 heatwave compared with using the region's geographical average temperature. Urban warming added materially to the estimated heat burden.
Household relevance: Local conditions and population distribution matter when estimating heat risk.
Illustration only: A dense apartment district may need greater heat preparedness than a regional temperature average suggests.
Limitations and applicability: Deaths are estimated using modelled temperatures and exposure-response relationships; future projections assume specified adaptation and population scenarios.
On the influence of density and morphology on the Urban Heat Island intensity
Yunfei Li; Sebastian Schubert; Jürgen P. Kropp; Diego Rybski · 2020 · Nature Communications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16461-9
Finding or contribution: The authors' urban-form model linked heat-island intensity to city size, development density and the reinforcing thermal influence of nearby urban sites. Relative distances between developments also mattered.
Household relevance: The arrangement of a neighbourhood can influence its thermal setting.
Illustration only: Compare tightly clustered developments with buildings separated by vegetated spaces.
Limitations and applicability: The simplified model provides comparative urban-scale guidance, not a prediction of indoor temperature in a particular dwelling.
On the linkage between urban heat island and urban pollution island: Three-decade literature review towards a conceptual framework
Giulia Ulpiani · 2021 · The Science of the Total Environment · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141727
Finding or contribution: This review found that urban heat and air pollution interact through airflow, atmospheric mixing and chemistry. Depending on local conditions, strategies targeting one problem may improve or complicate the other.
Household relevance: Cooling and clean-air measures should be assessed together.
Illustration only: Before adding dense roadside vegetation, examine shade benefits alongside effects on ventilation and pollution.
Limitations and applicability: The review combines varied methods and settings; it does not establish a universal temperature or pollution benefit for any intervention.
Synergies between Urban Heat Island and Heat Waves in Athens (Greece), during an extremely hot summer (2012)
Dimitra Founda; Mattheos Santamouris · 2017 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11407-6
Finding or contribution: During five Athens heatwave episodes in summer 2012, the urban heat island intensified relative to background summer conditions. The authors reported amplification reaching 3.5°C, demonstrating that urban and regional heat can reinforce each other.
Household relevance: A neighbourhood's usual urban-rural temperature difference may underestimate heatwave conditions.
Illustration only: Plan for a city apartment to remain unusually hot during a prolonged heatwave.
Limitations and applicability: The result concerns a particular summer and monitoring network; the maximum amplification is not a typical value for other cities.
The role of city size and urban form in the surface urban heat island
Bin Zhou; Diego Rybski; Jürgen P. Kropp · 2017 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04242-2
Finding or contribution: Across the studied cities, surface heat-island intensity increased with city size and compactness and decreased with elongated urban form. City size showed the strongest association among these characteristics.
Household relevance: Urban expansion patterns can affect heat as well as transport and infrastructure.
Illustration only: A planning comparison could evaluate compact development together with shade, ventilation and travel demand.
Limitations and applicability: Surface-temperature associations do not directly determine indoor comfort; dispersed development also has environmental and infrastructure trade-offs.
Urban heat island: Aerodynamics or imperviousness?
Dan Li; Weilin Liao; Angela J. Rigden; Xiaoping Liu; Dagang Wang; Sergey Malyshev; Elena Shevliakova · 2019 · Science Advances · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau4299
Finding or contribution: The modelling analysis identified vegetation and moisture availability as major controls of daytime urban heat islands and their spatial differences. It challenged explanations that attribute the pattern mainly to aerodynamic efficiency.
Household relevance: Water availability helps determine whether urban greenery can cool its surroundings.
Illustration only: A dry lawn and a well-watered planted area may perform differently during a heatwave.
Limitations and applicability: These are model-based attributions at large scales; they do not specify household water requirements or a guaranteed local cooling effect.
Crowdsourced air temperatures contrast satellite measures of the urban heat island and its mechanisms
Zander S. Venter; Tirthankar Chakraborty; Xuhui Lee · 2021 · Science Advances · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb9569
Finding or contribution: Comparing crowdsourced air measurements with satellite observations showed that surface and near-surface air heat islands can differ substantially. The authors found that satellite-based measures overestimated the air-temperature contrast in their comparison.
Household relevance: A hot-looking satellite map is useful context, but it is not a room thermometer.
Illustration only: Use a shaded outdoor sensor and an indoor thermometer alongside a neighbourhood heat map.
Limitations and applicability: Crowdsourced sensors and satellite coverage have sampling limitations; surface and air temperatures represent different physical measurements.
The footprint of urban heat island effect in China
Decheng Zhou; Shuqing Zhao; Liangxia Zhang; Ge Sun; Yongqiang Liu · 2015 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/srep11160
Finding or contribution: Across Chinese cities, the surface heat-island footprint extended beyond administrative urban land. Its extent varied between day and night, and ignoring the footprint could bias estimated urban-rural temperature differences.
Household relevance: The choice of comparison area affects claims about a city's heat island.
Illustration only: A suburb beside a city may already share some of its warming.
Limitations and applicability: Results depend on satellite surface temperatures, urban boundaries and the reference-area definition; they do not measure individual exposure.
Influencing Mechanisms of Urban Heat Island on Respiratory Diseases
Huang H; Yang H; Deng X; Zeng P; Li Y; Zhang L; Zhu L · 2019 · Iranian Journal of Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.18502/ijph.v48i9.3023
Finding or contribution: The Tianjin analysis combined satellite, weather and respiratory-mortality data to examine changing heat-related spatial patterns from 1992 to 2018. It reported expanding areas of higher assessed influence as urban heat intensified.
Household relevance: Heat-health assessment can examine how exposure patterns change with urban development.
Illustration only: A city could compare emerging residential hotspots with its distribution of respiratory-health support.
Limitations and applicability: The area-level landscape analysis cannot establish individual causation or separate every co-occurring influence, such as air pollution and demographic change.
Improving the wind environment in high-density cities by understanding urban morphology and surface roughness: A study in Hong Kong
Ng E; Yuan C; Chen L; Ren C; Fung JCH · 2011 · Landscape and Urban Planning · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.01.004
Finding or contribution: The Hong Kong study used building morphology and wind-tunnel evidence to assess urban ventilation. Ground coverage, frontal area and the lower podium layer were important for how wind reached pedestrian spaces.
Household relevance: Large building bases and tightly arranged structures can affect neighbourhood airflow.
Illustration only: When comparing apartments, consider the surrounding building arrangement as well as window size.
Limitations and applicability: The planning relationships were developed for dense Hong Kong settings; they do not predict ventilation inside every apartment.
Methods to Estimate Acclimatization to Urban Heat Island Effects on Heat- and Cold-Related Mortality
Ai Milojevic; Ben G. Armstrong; Antonio Gasparrini; Sylvia I. Bohnenstengel; Benjamin Barratt; Paul Wilkinson · 2016 · Environmental Health Perspectives · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1510109
Finding or contribution: The authors developed methods for estimating acclimatisation to urban heat and cold using London mortality data. Their analysis suggested substantial summer heat acclimatisation but less clear evidence for cold.
Household relevance: Health risk depends on local population adaptation as well as temperature.
Illustration only: Two equally warm neighbourhoods may not have identical mortality patterns.
Limitations and applicability: The exposure measure describes outdoor air temperature; housing, behaviour and indoor conditions are not fully represented.
Flip flop of Day-night and Summer-Winter Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity in India
Hiteshri Shastri; Beas Barik; Subimal Ghosh; Chandra Venkataraman; Pankaj Sadavarte · 2017 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/srep40178
Finding or contribution: Indian cities showed strong day-night and seasonal changes in surface heat-island intensity. Parts of central and western India had cooler urban surfaces than surrounding areas before the monsoon, while nighttime urban warming remained evident.
Household relevance: Cities are not necessarily hotter than their surroundings at every time of day.
Illustration only: Check nighttime conditions before assuming that a daytime satellite map captures bedroom heat risk.
Limitations and applicability: The authors noted that satellite surface temperatures were not validated against in-situ surface measurements.
Soil surface temperatures reveal moderation of the urban heat island effect by trees and shrubs
J. L. Edmondson; I. Stott; Z. G. Davies; K. J. Gaston; J. R. Leake · 2016 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/srep33708
Finding or contribution: Citywide soil-surface measurements found that trees and shrubs moderated summer temperature extremes more than herbaceous vegetation. Smaller trees in domestic gardens provided less moderation than larger woody vegetation in other settings.
Household relevance: Plant size and vegetation type can affect local ground-level thermal conditions.
Illustration only: A young garden tree may not yet provide the shade of an established canopy.
Limitations and applicability: The measured outcome was soil-surface temperature, not indoor air temperature or an equivalent reduction in energy bills.
Spatially-optimized urban greening for reduction of population exposure to land surface temperature extremes
Massaro E; Schifanella R; Piccardo M; Caporaso L; Taubenböck H; Cescatti A; Duveiller G · 2023 · Nature Communications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38596-1
Finding or contribution: The modelling study found that targeting greening to areas with high population exposure could reduce exposure to extreme surface temperatures more efficiently than distributing the same treatment uniformly.
Household relevance: Where greenery is added can matter as much as its total area.
Illustration only: Prioritise a heavily used, poorly shaded residential courtyard rather than an already cool corner.
Limitations and applicability: Exposure combines population with surface-temperature threshold exceedances; it is not a direct measurement of personal heat dose or indoor comfort.
Reviewed correction notice: Author correction: population-exposure acronym in Figure 2; article HTML/PDF corrected.
Modelling the variation of land surface temperature as determinant of risk of heat-related health events
Yan Kestens; Allan Brand; Michel Fournier; Sophie Goudreau; Tom Kosatsky; Matthew Maloley; Audrey Smargiassi · 2011 · International Journal of Health Geographics · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1186/1476-072x-10-7
Finding or contribution: The Quebec study developed a land-use regression approach to estimate surface temperatures across space and time. Combining land-use information with weather observations helped represent heat exposure beyond a single satellite snapshot.
Household relevance: Repeated local conditions are more informative than one hot-day image.
Illustration only: Assess a neighbourhood using several dates and weather conditions before making comparisons.
Limitations and applicability: Satellite availability, model choices and the distinction between surface and air temperature limit direct interpretation for a particular home.
Dominant control of agriculture and irrigation on urban heat island in India
Rahul Kumar; Vimal Mishra; Jonathan Buzan; Rohini Kumar; Drew Shindell; Matthew Huber · 2017 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14213-2
Finding or contribution: In Indian cities, agriculture and irrigation in surrounding rural areas strongly influenced the direction and size of urban-rural surface-temperature contrasts. Nighttime urban warming was much more widespread than daytime warming.
Household relevance: A city's heat-island value partly reflects what surrounds it.
Illustration only: An irrigated farming fringe and a dry rural fringe provide different temperature baselines.
Limitations and applicability: The findings concern urban-rural surface contrasts; a negative daytime heat island does not mean urban residents are protected from heat.
Validating Satellite-Derived Land Surface Temperature with in Situ Measurements: A Public Health Perspective
Jalonne L. White-Newsome; Shannon J. Brines; Daniel G. Brown; J. Timothy Dvonch; Carina J. Gronlund; Kai Zhang; Evan M. Oswald; Marie S. O’Neill · 2013 · Environmental Health Perspectives · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1206176
Finding or contribution: Comparing satellite temperature products with on-site measurements showed that remotely sensed indicators captured longer-term spatial variation better than short-term personal heat exposure. Agreement varied with the measurement type and timing.
Household relevance: Heat maps need ground-level checks for household decisions.
Illustration only: Place a room thermometer in a hot bedroom rather than estimating its temperature from a satellite image.
Limitations and applicability: Satellite overpass timing and limited ground validation constrain short-duration exposure estimates.
The winter urban heat island: Impacts on cold-related mortality in a highly urbanized European region for present and future climate
Helen. L. Macintyre; Clare Heaviside; Xiaoming Cai; Revati Phalkey · 2021 · Environment International · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106530
Finding or contribution: West Midlands modelling found that winter urban warming reduced estimated cold-related mortality, while summer urban warming increased heat-related mortality. The balance differed by season and persisted under the examined future scenarios.
Household relevance: Cooling strategies should be checked for winter consequences as well as summer benefits.
Illustration only: Evaluate a roof or shading intervention across the full year in a cold-winter climate.
Limitations and applicability: The estimates depend on climate and health-response models; anthropogenic heat was not explicitly included in the urban model.
Analysis of the relationship among land surface temperature (LST), land use land cover (LULC), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with topographic elements in the lower Himalayan region
Ullah W; Ahmad K; Ullah S; Tahir AA; Javed MF; Nazir A; Abbasi AM; Aziz M; Mohamed A · 2023 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13322
Finding or contribution: In northern Pakistan's lower Himalayan region, satellite surface temperatures varied with land cover and topography. Elevation, slope orientation and vegetation helped explain the spatial thermal pattern.
Household relevance: Hilly neighbourhoods need comparisons that account for terrain as well as development.
Illustration only: Compare two homes' slope orientation before attributing their surroundings' temperature difference entirely to tree cover.
Limitations and applicability: Remote-sensing correlations do not isolate every causal influence or describe indoor air temperatures.
Analysis of urban heat island characteristics and mitigation strategies for eight arid and semi-arid gulf region cities
Ammar Abulibdeh · 2021 · Environmental Earth Sciences · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s12665-021-09540-7
Finding or contribution: Across eight Gulf-region cities, bare land generally had the highest mean surface temperature, but temperatures overlapped between bare, built and green categories. Land-cover labels alone did not explain every hotspot.
Household relevance: In arid climates, undeveloped ground is not automatically a cool reference area.
Illustration only: A shaded built courtyard may have cooler surfaces than exposed bare soil nearby.
Limitations and applicability: Satellite revisit intervals, clouds and within-category differences limit transfer to a specific property or time.
Heat and Humidity in the City: Neighborhood Heat Index Variability in a Mid-Sized City in the Southeastern United States
Hass AL; Ellis KN; Reyes Mason L; Hathaway JM; Howe DA · 2016 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13010117
Finding or contribution: Neighbourhood monitoring showed that temperature and humidity both shaped heat index. Impervious locations tended toward higher temperature, while greener locations could have higher humidity, complicating simple cooling comparisons.
Household relevance: Outdoor heat stress cannot always be judged by air temperature alone.
Illustration only: Compare a humid shaded courtyard with a dry exposed street using both temperature and humidity.
Limitations and applicability: The study concerns one city's monitored conditions; heat index does not capture every influence on comfort, including radiation and wind.
Correlation analysis of land surface temperature and topographic elements in Hangzhou, China
Xiaoxue Peng; Wenyuan Wu; Yaoyao Zheng; Jingyi Sun; Tangao Hu; Pin Wang · 2020 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67423-6
Finding or contribution: The Hangzhou analysis linked surface temperature with elevation, slope, aspect and shaded relief. Relationships differed with season, and the combined terrain analysis highlighted the importance of relief-related solar exposure.
Household relevance: Terrain should accompany vegetation and building information in heat assessments.
Illustration only: A hillside home and a valley home may face different exposure even with similar gardens.
Limitations and applicability: Statistical relationships in remotely sensed surface temperature are not a controlled test of terrain effects on indoor comfort.
Development of a holistic urban heat island evaluation methodology
Valentino Sangiorgio; Francesco Fiorito; Mattheos Santamouris · 2020 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75018-4
Finding or contribution: The authors developed a heat-island evaluation index combining weighted urban parameters with calibration against observations from European urban districts. It was intended to support comparisons of heat-mitigation and planning options.
Household relevance: A structured index can help organise several local heat drivers.
Illustration only: A neighbourhood assessment could examine surface cover and building context together rather than use one indicator.
Limitations and applicability: Weights and calibration determine the index's behaviour; results do not directly predict one home's indoor temperature or retrofit savings.
The Impact of the Land Cover Dynamics on Surface Urban Heat Island Variations in Semi-Arid Cities: A Case Study in Ahmedabad City, India, Using Multi-Sensor/Source Data
Mohammad P; Goswami A; Bonafoni S · 2019 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s19173701
Finding or contribution: Over 2003–2018, Ahmedabad's summer daytime surface heat island was often negative because surrounding cropland became hot bare land before the monsoon. Urban expansion enlarged the heat-island footprint without necessarily increasing its intensity.
Household relevance: A lower urban-rural contrast can coexist with substantial urban heat exposure.
Illustration only: Check both a heat map's absolute temperatures and the surrounding rural conditions.
Limitations and applicability: Results depend on reference boundaries, satellite sampling and season; a negative contrast does not establish safe living conditions.
Quantifying urban heat island intensity in Hong Kong SAR, China
Leong Wai Siu; Melissa A. Hart · 2013 · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s10661-012-2876-6
Finding or contribution: Applying Local Climate Zones to Hong Kong weather stations changed which stations were judged representative urban and rural references. The authors concluded that some earlier station choices may have underestimated heat-island intensity.
Household relevance: The stations used in a comparison can change the apparent amount of urban warming.
Illustration only: Check whether a city's reference station is inland, coastal or surrounded by development.
Limitations and applicability: Classification is difficult in heterogeneous landscapes, and station surroundings can change over time.
Intra-urban microclimate investigation in urban heat island through a novel mobile monitoring system
Ioannis Kousis; Ilaria Pigliautile; Anna Laura Pisello · 2021 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88344-y
Finding or contribution: Mobile monitoring in Perugia revealed fine-scale differences in urban environmental conditions across contrasting street and neighbourhood forms. The approach helped locate microclimate hotspots that fixed stations alone could miss.
Household relevance: Conditions along a daily route can differ from the nearest official weather station.
Illustration only: Compare the exposed walk to a bus stop with a shaded residential street.
Limitations and applicability: Mobile measurements represent particular routes and sampling periods; they do not establish year-round exposure inside nearby homes.
The Urban Heat Island in an Urban Context: A Case Study of Mashhad, Iran
Marzie Naserikia; Elyas Asadi Shamsabadi; Mojtaba Rafieian; Walter Leal Filho · 2019 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16030313
Finding or contribution: In Mashhad's arid setting, bare soil and asphalt surroundings were important features of hot surface areas. Dense built areas were not invariably hotter than more open areas with exposed ground.
Household relevance: Shade and surface materials matter when evaluating open space in dry climates.
Illustration only: An unshaded paved or bare courtyard may be hotter at its surface than a shaded narrow street.
Limitations and applicability: The findings concern local surface-temperature patterns; proposed pavement measures were not a universal household retrofit trial.
Spatially Analyzing the Inequity of the Hong Kong Urban Heat Island by Socio-Demographic Characteristics
Man Sing Wong; Fen Peng; Bin Zou; Wen Zhong Shi; Gaines J. Wilson · 2016 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13030317
Finding or contribution: The Hong Kong spatial analysis identified clusters where disadvantaged demographic groups overlapped with stronger surface heat exposure. Income, marital status and occupation revealed particularly marked inequities in the analysed data.
Household relevance: Heat adaptation should consider social circumstances alongside physical hotspots.
Illustration only: A cooling programme could prioritise low-income rental blocks with limited access to refuge.
Limitations and applicability: The analysis used an older surface-temperature image and area-level demographics; it cannot measure each household's actual exposure.
Examining the Relationship between Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) Using Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) Models: A Case Study of Seoul, South Korea
Minjun Kim; Dongbeom Kim; Geunhan Kim · 2022 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315926
Finding or contribution: A Seoul machine-learning analysis found surrounding vegetation and built cover important for surface temperature. Its land-cover scenario predicted cooling after replacing an expressway with green space.
Household relevance: Changes beyond a property's boundary can affect its thermal surroundings.
Illustration only: A proposed green corridor may benefit several neighbouring blocks rather than only adjacent plots.
Limitations and applicability: The cooling scenario is a model prediction; it is not a measured intervention outcome or equivalent indoor temperature reduction.
Evaluating the impacts of land use/land cover changes across topography against land surface temperature in Cameron Highlands
Darren How Jin Aik; Mohd Hasmadi Ismail; Farrah Melissa Muharam; Mohamad Azani Alias · 2021 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252111
Finding or contribution: In Malaysia's Cameron Highlands, agricultural and urban expansion coincided with forest loss and changes in satellite surface temperature. Development also extended onto steep slopes, raising concerns beyond heat alone.
Household relevance: Land development can affect thermal conditions and slope stability together.
Illustration only: Assess hillside housing proposals for vegetation loss, drainage and heat exposure.
Limitations and applicability: A comparison of satellite dates cannot attribute all temperature change to land cover independently of weather and image conditions.
Balancing conflicting mitigation and adaptation behaviours of urban residents under climate change and the urban heat island effect
Kayoko Kondo; Leslie Mabon; Yifan Bi; Yulin Chen; Yuriko Hayabuchi · 2021 · Sustainable Cities and Society · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2020.102585
Finding or contribution: A Fukuoka survey distinguished cooling practices focused on energy-saving from those prioritising immediate heat adaptation. The energy-saving group reported lower bills and greater participation in other mitigation behaviours.
Household relevance: Cooling advice needs to address both comfort needs and household motivations.
Illustration only: A renter may combine safe air-conditioning use with shading rather than simply reduce cooling hours.
Limitations and applicability: Self-reported survey associations do not prove that a particular message or behaviour caused lower bills or safer temperatures.
Impact of Biophysical Mechanisms on Urban Heat Island Associated with Climate Variation and Urban Morphology
Fitria R; Kim D; Baik J; Choi M · 2019 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55847-8
Finding or contribution: The authors found that urban heat-island drivers varied with climate and time of day. Convection, evaporation, heat storage and anthropogenic heat had different importance across the examined cities and climate conditions.
Household relevance: One city's dominant cooling mechanism may not be another's.
Illustration only: A humid-city shading strategy and an arid-city planting strategy need separate local assessment.
Limitations and applicability: The attribution relies on modelling and selected cities; it does not provide a direct retrofit specification for an individual building.
Examining seasonal effect of urban heat island in a coastal city
Wu X; Zhang L; Zang S · 2019 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217850
Finding or contribution: In coastal Dalian, surface heat-island patterns changed by season. Vegetation and elevation were important correlates, while the coastline's role varied and autumn-winter urban warming was much less apparent.
Household relevance: Season and coastal influence matter when interpreting neighbourhood heat maps.
Illustration only: A waterfront location's summer conditions should not be inferred from its winter temperature pattern.
Limitations and applicability: The study analyses one coastal city's surface temperatures; associations need checking against local air and indoor measurements.
Synergies between urban heat island and heat waves in Seoul: The role of wind speed and land use characteristics
Ngarambe J; Nganyiyimana J; Kim I; Santamouris M; Yun GY · 2020 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243571
Finding or contribution: Seoul's urban heat island strengthened during heatwaves, particularly in densely built settings and under low wind. The study showed that land use and weather influenced how urban and regional heat combined.
Household relevance: Calm heatwave nights deserve particular attention in dense residential areas.
Illustration only: Prepare extra cooling support for a sheltered apartment block during a low-wind heatwave.
Limitations and applicability: The weather analysis considered a limited set of variables and one city; reported peak differences are not universal expectations.
Effect of land cover composition and building configuration on land surface temperature in an urban-sprawl city, case study in Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Thailand
Tratrin Adulkongkaew; Tunlawit Satapanajaru; Sujittra Charoenhirunyingyos; Wichitra Singhirunnusorn · 2020 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04485
Finding or contribution: In Bangkok, land-cover proportions and building configuration were associated with surface temperature. Greater vegetation and water coverage generally supported cooling, while some taller or differently arranged building patterns also showed lower surface temperatures.
Household relevance: Building form and greenery should be assessed together.
Illustration only: A housing layout can create shade while retaining planted ground and water-sensitive landscaping.
Limitations and applicability: These are observational, context-dependent surface-temperature relationships, not proof that increasing building height always cools neighbourhood air.
Neighborhood Landscape Spatial Patterns and Land Surface Temperature: An Empirical Study on Single-Family Residential Areas in Austin, Texas
Jun-Hyun Kim; Donghwan Gu; Wonmin Sohn; Sung-Ho Kil; Hwanyong Kim; Dong-Kun Lee · 2016 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13090880
Finding or contribution: In Austin's single-family neighbourhoods, larger and better-connected green landscape patterns were associated with lower surface temperatures after accounting for spatial dependence. Fragmented and isolated green patches showed weaker cooling relationships.
Household relevance: Connected vegetation may have advantages beyond scattered small patches.
Illustration only: Neighbours could consider continuous street planting alongside individual garden improvements.
Limitations and applicability: The analysis is observational and surface-based; it does not establish an exact cooling benefit for a specific planting project.
Relationship between urban morphology and land surface temperature—A case study of Nanjing City
Yin S; Liu J; Han Z · 2022 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260205
Finding or contribution: The Nanjing study found spatially varying relationships between urban form and surface temperature. Some high-rise areas had lower surface temperatures than mid-rise areas, which the authors linked to greater shadow coverage.
Household relevance: Height effects depend on shading, arrangement and local surroundings.
Illustration only: A taller neighbouring building may shade pavement while also changing wind and daylight.
Limitations and applicability: Statistical modelling faced data and collinearity constraints; cooler surfaces do not necessarily imply better indoor or pedestrian comfort.
Estimating Heat‐Related Exposures and Urban Heat Island Impacts: A Case Study for the 2012 Chicago Heatwave
Chen K; Newman AJ; Huang M; Coon C; Darrow LA; Strickland MJ; Holmes HA · 2022 · GeoHealth · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1029/2021gh000535
Finding or contribution: Modelling the 2012 Chicago heatwave showed high heat stress in urban areas, while some rural areas also experienced substantial risk, including at night. Model configurations differed in accuracy and computational cost.
Household relevance: Heat preparedness should extend beyond city-centre hotspots.
Illustration only: A suburban or rural household should follow heat alerts even outside the mapped urban heat island.
Limitations and applicability: Exposure estimates depend on the selected atmospheric and urban models; they are not direct measurements of household health outcomes.
How urbanisation alters the intensity of the urban heat island in a tropical African city
Li X; Stringer LC; Chapman S; Dallimer M · 2021 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254371
Finding or contribution: Tracking Kampala showed that urban expansion and surface heat-island intensity did not follow a simple one-direction relationship. The authors highlighted the importance of how development interacts with green and blue spaces.
Household relevance: Growth can be planned with attention to thermal conditions rather than judged only by built area.
Illustration only: Protect vegetated and water-linked corridors as new housing is developed.
Limitations and applicability: Satellite-derived annual daytime indicators do not describe every season, nighttime condition or resident's exposure.
Cooling effect and control factors of common shrubs on the urban heat island effect in a southern city in China
Zhang R · 2020 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74559-y
Finding or contribution: Measurements of five shrub species in Guangzhou showed different surface-cooling performance. Leaf area and plant height helped explain differences through their relationships with transpiration and plant water use.
Household relevance: Shrub selection can influence local surface conditions as well as appearance.
Illustration only: Compare suitable shrub species for a sunny garden rather than treating all planting as thermally identical.
Limitations and applicability: The study measured vegetation and pavement surface temperatures; it did not demonstrate equivalent indoor cooling or energy savings.
Statistical Review of Quality Parameters of Blue-Green Infrastructure Elements Important in Mitigating the Effect of the Urban Heat Island in the Temperate Climate (C) Zone
Antoszewski P; Świerk D; Krzyżaniak M · 2020 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197093
Finding or contribution: This review identified design-related parameters affecting blue-green infrastructure cooling, including green-space size, leaf area, roof moisture and wall position. Different infrastructure types depended on different combinations of characteristics.
Household relevance: Effective cooling requires attention to design and maintenance, not simply adding a green feature.
Illustration only: A green roof's irrigation and substrate conditions should accompany its planting plan.
Limitations and applicability: The synthesis focuses on temperate-climate evidence with heterogeneous methods; it provides no single transferable cooling value.
The Diversified Impacts of Urban Morphology on Land Surface Temperature among Urban Functional Zones
Gao S; Zhan Q; Yang C; Liu H · 2020 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17249578
Finding or contribution: The study found that relationships between urban morphology and surface temperature differed across urban functional zones. Citywide models could conceal local differences, and selected indicators explained between-zone variation better than some within-zone variation.
Household relevance: Heat analysis benefits from recognising different neighbourhood functions and forms.
Illustration only: Do not assume that a warehouse district's heat relationship applies unchanged to a residential block.
Limitations and applicability: Regression and machine-learning associations do not establish causal intervention effects, and explanatory strength varied by zone.
Analyzing the scale dependent effect of urban building morphology on land surface temperature using random forest algorithm
Weiqun Han · 2023 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46437-w
Finding or contribution: In Wuhan, a random-forest analysis found building density, mean height and form important for surface temperature, with relationships changing by analytical scale. A 600-m neighbourhood performed best for this dataset.
Household relevance: The grid size used in a heat study can change its conclusions.
Illustration only: Check whether a neighbourhood-scale model is suitable before applying it to one garden or building.
Limitations and applicability: The optimal scale and modelled thresholds are dataset-specific; they are not universal building regulations or indoor cooling predictions.

Trees & outdoor cooling

Urban Tree Canopy and Asthma, Wheeze, Rhinitis, and Allergic Sensitization to Tree Pollen in a New York City Birth Cohort
Lovasi GS; O'Neil-Dunne JP; Lu JW; Sheehan D; Perzanowski MS; Macfaden SW; King KL; Matte T; Miller RL; Hoepner LA; Perera FP; Rundle A · 2013 · Environmental Health Perspectives · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1205513
Finding or contribution: In a New York birth cohort, nearby tree canopy was associated with greater sensitisation to tree pollen, while asthma and other allergy outcomes did not show a simple consistent canopy relationship.
Household relevance: Tree benefits should be considered alongside species-related allergy concerns.
Illustration only: A household with pollen sensitivity can consider species and flowering periods when choosing planting.
Limitations and applicability: Individual pollen exposure and species-specific sensitisation were unavailable; observational findings may not generalise to other populations.
Urban green space, tree canopy and prevention of cardiometabolic diseases: a multilevel longitudinal study of 46 786 Australians
Astell-Burt T; Feng X · 2020 · International Journal of Epidemiology · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyz239
Finding or contribution: Following Australian adults, the study associated greater neighbourhood tree canopy with lower incidence of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Total green-space coverage did not show the same consistent pattern across outcomes.
Household relevance: The type of greenery may matter when discussing healthy neighbourhoods.
Illustration only: Consider established tree canopy as well as the amount of open lawn around housing.
Limitations and applicability: This longitudinal observational study cannot prove that planting trees alone prevents disease; other neighbourhood and personal factors may contribute.
Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review
Kathleen L. Wolf; Sharon T. Lam; Jennifer K. McKeen; Gregory R.A. Richardson; Matilda van den Bosch; Adrina C. Bardekjian · 2020 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17124371
Finding or contribution: The scoping review connected urban trees with multiple health pathways, including reduced environmental harm, psychological restoration and opportunities for activity. Evidence varied widely, and the authors cautioned that trees can also introduce risks such as pollen exposure.
Household relevance: Healthy planting involves species, maintenance and local needs as well as canopy quantity.
Illustration only: A courtyard plan can combine shade, usable paths and attention to residents' allergies.
Limitations and applicability: Heterogeneous study designs and exposure measures prevent a single reliable health-effect estimate for all urban trees.
Trees Grow on Money: Urban Tree Canopy Cover and Environmental Justice
Schwarz K; Fragkias M; Boone CG; Zhou W; McHale M; Grove JM; O'Neil-Dunne J; McFadden JP; Buckley GL; Childers D; Ogden L; Pincetl S; Pataki D; Whitmer A; Cadenasso ML · 2015 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122051
Finding or contribution: Across the selected US cities, higher-income neighbourhoods generally had greater tree canopy. Associations with racial and ethnic composition differed between cities, demonstrating that canopy inequity was locally specific.
Household relevance: Tree programmes should investigate local access gaps rather than assume one national pattern.
Illustration only: Compare street-tree provision in older low-income rental areas and wealthier subdivisions.
Limitations and applicability: Area-level spatial associations do not establish why a particular household lacks trees or how planting would change its exposure.
The role of urban trees in reducing land surface temperatures in European cities
Jonas Schwaab; Ronny Meier; Gianluca Mussetti; Sonia Seneviratne; Christine Bürgi; Edouard L. Davin · 2021 · Nature Communications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26768-w
Finding or contribution: Across European cities, trees were associated with substantially cooler land surfaces than urban fabric, generally more so than treeless green spaces. The magnitude varied across climatic regions.
Household relevance: Tree shade and vegetated surfaces should not be treated as interchangeable.
Illustration only: A shaded courtyard may offer different surface conditions from an exposed lawn.
Limitations and applicability: The study measures surface-temperature contrasts; its large differences should not be presented as equivalent air-temperature or indoor cooling benefits.
Climate change accelerates growth of urban trees in metropolises worldwide
Pretzsch H; Biber P; Uhl E; Dahlhausen J; Schütze G; Perkins D; Rötzer T; Caldentey J; Koike T; Con TV; Chavanne A; Toit BD; Foster K; Lefer B · 2017 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14831-w
Finding or contribution: Tree-ring analysis across world metropolises found faster growth in urban than rural trees and changes in growth associated with climate trends. The authors warned that accelerated growth could also alter ageing and service lifetimes.
Household relevance: Urban tree planning needs long-term care and replacement, not only planting targets.
Illustration only: A neighbourhood planting programme should budget for monitoring and maintenance as trees mature.
Limitations and applicability: Growth patterns do not directly quantify household cooling, and responses vary with species and environmental setting.
Examining the distributional equity of urban tree canopy cover and ecosystem services across United States cities
Riley CB; Gardiner MM · 2020 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228499
Finding or contribution: The study compared tree-canopy distribution with estimated ecosystem services across US cities. It found that equity patterns could differ depending on whether canopy or particular services were measured.
Household relevance: Equal canopy percentages do not automatically mean equal benefits.
Illustration only: Assess whether trees shade occupied walking routes rather than counting canopy alone.
Limitations and applicability: Service estimates rely on modelling and local social-ecological conditions; canopy remains an imperfect proxy for residents' actual experience.
Reviewed correction notice: Publisher correction: Figure 1 corrected through republication.
Estimation of the Allergenic Potential of Urban Trees and Urban Parks: Towards the Healthy Design of Urban Green Spaces of the Future
Paloma Cariñanos; Filipa Grilo; Pedro Pinho; Manuel Casares-Porcel; Cristina Branquinho; Nezha Acil; Maria Beatrice Andreucci; Andreia Anjos; Pietro Massimiliano Bianco; Silvia Brini; Pedro Calaza-Martínez; Enrico Calvo; Elisa Carrari; José Castro; Anna Chiesura; Otilia Correia; Artur Gonçalves; Paula Gonçalves; Teresa Mexia; Marzia Mirabile; Elena Paoletti; Margarida Santos-Reis; Paolo Semenzato; Ursa Vilhar · 2019 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16081357
Finding or contribution: The researchers developed an approach to assess allergenic potential using tree-species traits and green-space design. Common wind-pollinated species and planting density influenced assessed allergenicity.
Household relevance: Species choice can help balance greening with respiratory accessibility.
Illustration only: A housing landscape designer could compare allergenic potential before specifying a large single-species planting.
Limitations and applicability: The index estimates potential allergenicity; it is not a clinical prediction of symptoms for a particular resident.
A single tree model to consistently simulate cooling, shading, and pollution uptake of urban trees
Pace R; De Fino F; Rahman MA; Pauleit S; Nowak DJ; Grote R · 2021 · International Journal of Biometeorology · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s00484-020-02030-8
Finding or contribution: A process-based single-tree model represented shade, transpiration and pollution uptake together. Including soil-water availability allowed drought to affect the simulated cooling and pollutant-removal functions consistently.
Household relevance: Tree performance depends on physiological condition as well as canopy size.
Illustration only: A drought-stressed tree may retain shade while its transpiration changes.
Limitations and applicability: Modelled ecosystem services depend on parameter choices, species and site conditions; they are not guaranteed measured benefits at a home.
Residential Exposure to Urban Trees and Medication Sales for Mood Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease in Brussels, Belgium: An Ecological Study
Dengkai Chi; Raf Aerts; An Van Nieuwenhuyse; Mariska Bauwelinck; Claire Demoury; Michelle Plusquin; Tim S. Nawrot; Lidia Casas; Ben Somers · 2022 · Environmental Health Perspectives · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1289/ehp9924
Finding or contribution: In Brussels, neighbourhood tree density and crown volume were associated with medication sales for cardiovascular and mood conditions. Joint models suggested that larger crowns on fewer trees could differ from similar crown volume spread across many smaller trees.
Household relevance: Mature-tree structure may matter beyond simple tree counts.
Illustration only: A redevelopment assessment could examine the consequences of losing large trees despite planting many saplings.
Limitations and applicability: Medication sales are aggregated health proxies; the ecological study cannot establish individual health effects or causation.
Effects of tree canopy on psychological distress: A repeated cross-sectional study before and during the COVID-19 epidemic
Chang Zhang; Cheng Wang; Chao Chen; Liyuan Tao; Jiali Jin; Ziyan Wang; Baoquan Jia · 2022 · Environmental Research · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111795
Finding or contribution: Repeated Beijing surveys associated greater residential tree canopy with less psychological distress, while distress increased during the COVID-19 epidemic. The canopy relationship differed across questionnaire domains and circumstances.
Household relevance: Accessible residential greenery may support wellbeing during stressful periods.
Illustration only: A resident could value nearby visible trees when outdoor movement is restricted.
Limitations and applicability: Repeated cross-sectional surveys do not follow every individual's change or prove that canopy caused better mental health.
Tree Canopy Cover Is Best Associated with Perceptions of Greenspace: A Short Communication
Soumya Mazumdar; Alison Dunshea; Shanley Chong; Bin Jalaludin · 2020 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186501
Finding or contribution: In an Australian residential survey, objective and perceived greenery agreed poorly overall. Tree canopy within a ten-minute walking area aligned with perceived greenspace better than the other tested objective measures.
Household relevance: Residents' experience of greenery may differ from a broad satellite greenness score.
Illustration only: Ask residents about the trees they see and use along daily routes.
Limitations and applicability: The study is local and survey-based; perceived greenery is not a direct measure of cooling or health improvement.
Turgor loss point and vulnerability to xylem embolism predict species‐specific risk of drought‐induced decline of urban trees
Petruzzellis F; Tordoni E; Di Bonaventura A; Tomasella M; Natale S; Panepinto F; Bacaro G; Nardini A · 2022 · Plant Biology (Stuttgart, Germany) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/plb.13355
Finding or contribution: The study linked urban-tree drought decline risk with physiological indicators of water-stress tolerance. Species with less drought-resistant hydraulic traits tended to face greater risk.
Household relevance: Selecting climate-suitable species helps protect future shade provision.
Illustration only: A planting scheme can compare drought tolerance alongside mature size and available soil space.
Limitations and applicability: Trait-based risk relationships do not guarantee survival; establishment, soil, maintenance and local extremes also influence outcomes.
Irrigated urban trees exhibit greater functional trait plasticity compared to natural stands
Ibsen PC; Santiago LS; Shiflett SA; Chandler M; Jenerette GD · 2023 · Biology Letters · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0448
Finding or contribution: Comparing irrigated urban trees with natural stands showed that urban water availability could increase flexibility in plant traits. Trees in irrigated settings did not necessarily behave like those in their native ecosystems.
Household relevance: Irrigation changes tree function and the assumptions behind planting advice.
Illustration only: Do not transfer a species' performance in an irrigated park directly to an unirrigated garden.
Limitations and applicability: Trait observations do not directly quantify cooling savings, and water-rich settings may not represent sustainable local irrigation options.
The potential of urban trees to reduce heat-related mortality in London
Taylor J; Simpson C; Brousse O; Viitanen AK; Heaviside C · 2024 · Environmental Research Letters · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad3a7e
Finding or contribution: London weather-station comparisons associated higher canopy with lower heat exposure, including during 2022 heatwaves. Scenario modelling translated these temperature relationships into potential reductions in heat-related deaths.
Household relevance: Canopy can form part of wider heat-health planning.
Illustration only: Target shade improvements near vulnerable housing alongside cooling access and outreach.
Limitations and applicability: Temperature relationships were associative, and mortality benefits were modelled; they should not be described as deaths directly observed to be prevented.
Decoupling forest characteristics and background conditions to explain urban-rural variations of multiple microclimate regulation from urban trees
Wang W; Zhang B; Xiao L; Zhou W; Wang H; He X · 2018 · PeerJ · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5450
Finding or contribution: Measurements across an urban-rural gradient found that tree-related shading, cooling and humidification varied with weather, surrounding conditions and forest characteristics. Weather explained much of the variation.
Household relevance: A tree's effects depend on its wider setting.
Illustration only: A garden tree in a sheltered city block may perform differently from the same species at a rural edge.
Limitations and applicability: The reported maxima are context-specific measurements, not universal cooling values for every tree or property.
Ecohydrology of urban trees under passive and active irrigation in a semiarid city
Luketich AM; Papuga SA; Crimmins MA · 2019 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224804
Finding or contribution: In a semiarid city, stormwater-fed bioswales could improve deeper soil moisture, while actively irrigated mesquite showed benefits during dry spring conditions. The study did not establish that deeper moisture controlled productivity more strongly than shallow moisture.
Household relevance: Stormwater design can support trees, but seasonal water needs remain important.
Illustration only: A suitable rain garden could direct runoff toward trees rather than straight to a drain.
Limitations and applicability: Species, season and local runoff conditions constrain transfer; this was not a household energy-saving trial.
Changes in morphological and physiological traits of urban trees in response to elevated temperatures within an Urban Heat Island
Johanna Andrea Martínez-Villa; Alain Paquette; Kenneth J Feeley; Paula Andrea Morales-Morales; Christian Messier; Sandra M Durán · 2024 · Tree Physiology · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpae145
Finding or contribution: Urban-tree species showed different physiological responses to hotter conditions within a heat island. Only some adjusted their temperature-related photosynthetic traits, suggesting that many species may struggle to acclimate fully.
Household relevance: Long-term planting should consider tolerance of future heat.
Illustration only: Choose replacement trees for expected site conditions rather than appearance alone.
Limitations and applicability: Species-level physiological measurements do not establish future survival or cooling outcomes for every planting location.
A scaling law for predicting urban trees canopy cooling efficiency
Jia Wang; Weiqi Zhou; Steward T. A. Pickett; Yuguo Qian · 2024 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401210121
Finding or contribution: Across several cities, estimated canopy cooling efficiency changed systematically with the spatial scale of analysis. Larger analytical areas produced different cooling-per-canopy relationships from small grids.
Household relevance: A cooling estimate depends partly on the area over which it was calculated.
Illustration only: A citywide canopy target cannot be converted directly into a garden's temperature benefit.
Limitations and applicability: The scaling relationship uses remotely sensed surface temperatures and selected cities; it does not directly predict indoor air temperatures.
Satisfaction with urban trees associates with tree canopy cover and tree visibility around the home
Ordóñez C; Labib SM; Chung L; Conway TM · 2023 · Npj Urban Sustainability · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s42949-023-00119-8
Finding or contribution: The survey found that canopy coverage and tree visibility around homes were associated with residents' satisfaction with urban trees. Satellite greenness alone did not show the same significant association.
Household relevance: Visible, nearby trees may matter differently from overall vegetation quantity.
Illustration only: A resident may appreciate a street tree seen from a window more than distant greenery.
Limitations and applicability: Survey associations cannot prove causation, and satisfaction is not a direct measure of thermal performance.
Variation the in relationship between urban tree canopy and air temperature reduction under a range of daily weather conditions
Locke DH; Baker M; Alonzo M; Yang Y; Ziter CD; Murphy-Dunning C; O'Neil-Dunne JPM · 2024 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25041
Finding or contribution: Mobile air-temperature measurements showed stronger canopy-related cooling during clear daytime conditions and weaker relationships at night or under cloud. The canopy-temperature relationship therefore changed with daily weather.
Household relevance: Tree cooling should be discussed by time and weather, not as one constant value.
Illustration only: Daytime shade may help a courtyard while nighttime bedroom cooling still needs separate attention.
Limitations and applicability: Sampling coverage and local weather constrain generalisation; measured outdoor cooling is not automatically an equal indoor reduction.
Optimizing urban park cooling effects requires balancing morphological design and landscape structure
Wang L; Wang W; Tang F; Xu H · 2025 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-98249-9
Finding or contribution: The park analysis found that cooling depended on both park form and internal landscape structure. The authors argued that enlarging parks alone was insufficient without attention to imperviousness, boundary design and vegetation.
Household relevance: Park design matters alongside park area.
Illustration only: A housing community could compare planting layout and paved paths before simply enlarging a lawn.
Limitations and applicability: Cooling indicators come from a specific observational analysis; design associations are not guaranteed intervention effects everywhere.
Study on the influence of urban tree canopy on thermal environment in Luoping County
Dai JP; Qin JZ; Zhou T; Qin XJ; Zhu K; Peng JS · 2023 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40449-2
Finding or contribution: In Luoping, tree-canopy patches were cooler at the surface than several other land-cover types. Patch area and perimeter related differently to internal temperature and the spatial cooling pattern.
Household relevance: The shape and size of planted areas can influence their thermal context.
Illustration only: Compare a narrow tree strip with a broader shaded communal garden.
Limitations and applicability: The analysis was restricted to one built-up area and selected observation conditions; it does not establish household air-temperature savings.
Evaluation and optimization of park cooling benefits based on cumulative impact and landscape pattern
Xiong Y; Xie X; Yang Y · 2024 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-76386-x
Finding or contribution: The Nanjing park study assessed several cooling indicators and linked them to landscape patterns. It used these relationships to explore configurations that could extend cooling benefits to more residents.
Household relevance: A park's cooling reach and intensity are different planning questions.
Illustration only: Consider which residential streets lie within a park's influence, not only its coolest central spot.
Limitations and applicability: The analysis relies on summer satellite surface temperatures and statistical optimisation rather than measured changes after park redesign.
Urban Tree Canopy and Environmental Justice: Examining the Distributional Equity of Urban Tree Canopy in Guangzhou, China
Zhuang Y; Xie D; Yu X · 2023 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054050
Finding or contribution: In Guangzhou, tree canopy was positively associated with house prices. Low-canopy clusters occurred in older residential areas, while higher-canopy clusters were common in more expensive housing estates.
Household relevance: Equitable greening requires attention to where planting is provided.
Illustration only: Prioritise public shade in older rental districts as well as landscaped private developments.
Limitations and applicability: House price is an imperfect socioeconomic proxy, and area-level associations do not establish individual household circumstances.

Walls, roofs & windows

Plant Species and Functional Group Combinations Affect Green Roof Ecosystem Functions
Jeremy Lundholm; J. Scott MacIvor; Zachary MacDougall; Melissa Ranalli · 2010 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009677
Finding or contribution: Green-roof experiments found that particular combinations of plant life forms improved several ecosystem functions. Diversity alone was insufficient: some mixtures performed poorly, while combinations including succulents, grasses and tall flowering plants performed well.
Household relevance: Plant selection influences how a green roof functions.
Illustration only: Compare a mixed planting design with a single-species roof using the project's actual performance goals.
Limitations and applicability: Experimental planting results do not establish structural suitability, waterproofing performance or household energy savings for a complete roof.
The modifying effect of the building envelope on population exposure to PM2.5 from outdoor sources
J Taylor; C Shrubsole; M Davies; P Biddulph; P Das; I Hamilton; S Vardoulakis; A Mavrogianni; B Jones; E Oikonomou · 2014 · Indoor Air · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/ina.12116
Finding or contribution: London housing simulations showed that envelope characteristics and window opening affected indoor exposure to outdoor fine particles. Flats generally had lower modelled indoor-outdoor ratios than detached or semi-detached dwellings.
Household relevance: Ventilation and pollution need consideration alongside heat loss.
Illustration only: Before opening windows for cooling, consider nearby traffic and suitable filtered ventilation options.
Limitations and applicability: The study modelled outdoor-source particles and assumed occupant behaviour; it does not measure every home's actual indoor air quality.
Research of Wood Waste as a Potential Filler for Loose-Fill Building Insulation: Appropriate Selection and Incorporation into Polyurethane Biocomposite Foams
Nerijus Augaitis; Saulius Vaitkus; Sylwia Członka; Agnė Kairytė · 2020 · Materials · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ma13235336
Finding or contribution: Laboratory tests identified wood shavings as a promising waste-derived insulation filler. Combining the selected filler with an appropriate polyurethane binder improved thermal, water-absorption and strength performance compared with less suitable formulations.
Household relevance: Recycled content alone is not enough to judge an insulation material.
Illustration only: Ask for tested conductivity and moisture performance when comparing waste-based insulation products.
Limitations and applicability: The findings concern experimental materials and formulations, not a certified whole-wall system or demonstrated long-term field durability.
Bioinspired Super Thermal Insulating, Strong and Low Carbon Cement Aerogel for Building Envelope
Du F; Zhu W; Yang R; Zhang Y; Wang J; Li W; Zuo W; Zhang L; Chen L; She W; Li T · 2023 · Advanced Science · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300340
Finding or contribution: The researchers developed a low-density cement-based aerogel combining low thermal conductivity with mechanical strength and laboratory fire resistance. Their processing approach also reduced estimated embodied carbon relative to conventional cement.
Household relevance: New insulation materials can target thermal and embodied-carbon performance together.
Illustration only: Compare a proposed material's tested insulation value with its strength and production impacts.
Limitations and applicability: Laboratory properties and production comparisons do not establish commercial availability, code approval or lifetime performance in an occupied home.
Synergistic Fire Hazard Effect of a Multifunctional Flame Retardant in Building Insulation Expandable Polystyrene through a Simple Surface-Coating Method
Lin Li; Xiaoming Shao; Zheng Zhao; Xiaolin Liu; Licong Jiang; Kai Huang; Shuai Zhao · 2020 · ACS Omega · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03541
Finding or contribution: A protective coating improved laboratory flame-retardancy and smoke-related performance of expanded-polystyrene insulation without degrading its tested thermal-insulation performance. Outcomes depended on the coating formulation.
Household relevance: Fire behaviour is a separate specification question from insulation value.
Illustration only: When comparing foam insulation, request the relevant assembly-level fire test and installation requirements.
Limitations and applicability: Small-scale material tests do not establish safety of every installed wall or roof assembly, and this is not a do-it-yourself coating recommendation.
Multifunctionality is affected by interactions between green roof plant species, substrate depth, and substrate type
Yann Dusza; Sébastien Barot; Yvan Kraepiel; Jean‐Christophe Lata; Luc Abbadie; Xavier Raynaud · 2017 · Ecology and Evolution · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2691
Finding or contribution: Green-roof experiments found trade-offs among plant biomass, water retention and nutrient leaching. Plant species, substrate depth and substrate type interacted, and no single combination maximised every tested function.
Household relevance: A green roof should be designed around explicit priorities.
Illustration only: A roof prioritising runoff retention may need a different substrate and maintenance plan from one prioritising low nutrient discharge.
Limitations and applicability: Experimental modules cannot reproduce every full-roof condition, climate or long-term maintenance regime.
Analysis of Sheep Wool-Based Composites for Building Insulation
Tünde-Orsolya Dénes; Raluca Iştoan; Daniela Roxana Tǎmaş-Gavrea; Daniela Lucia Manea; Andreea Hegyi; Florin Popa; Ovidiu Vasile · 2022 · Polymers · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/polym14102109
Finding or contribution: The tested wool-based composites met the study's national thermal-performance criteria and showed useful sound absorption. They also had vulnerabilities in water-related and microorganism tests.
Household relevance: Natural insulation still needs moisture and durability assessment.
Illustration only: A homeowner comparing wool products should ask about moisture control and biological resistance as well as thermal resistance.
Limitations and applicability: Results concern specific experimental composites and binders; they do not apply automatically to every commercial wool insulation product.
Manipulating plant phylogenetic diversity for green roof ecosystem service delivery
J. Scott MacIvor; Nicholas Sookhan; Carlos A. Arnillas; Anushree Bhatt; Shameek Das; Simone‐Louise E. Yasui; Garland Xie; Marc W. Cadotte · 2018 · Evolutionary Applications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/eva.12703
Finding or contribution: The green-roof study explored whether evolutionary diversity among plants could improve ecosystem-service delivery. It showed that planting-performance relationships depended on site, supporting the inclusion of multiple roofs in evaluation.
Household relevance: A planting mix successful on one roof may need adjustment elsewhere.
Illustration only: Trial a planting combination on a small appropriate area before assuming identical results across differently exposed roofs.
Limitations and applicability: Modules were studied over one season, limiting conclusions about long-term persistence and performance.
Green roof and energy – role of climate and design elements in hot and temperate climates
E. Jamei; H.W. Chau; M. Seyedmahmoudian; S. Saad Mekhilef; F. Alzahraa Sami · 2023 · Heliyon · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15917
Finding or contribution: This review found that green-roof energy performance varied with climate and design. Cooling-load savings differed across hot-humid, hot-dry and temperate settings, with substrate and vegetation choices influencing results.
Household relevance: Green roofs do not deliver one standard percentage of energy savings.
Illustration only: Compare evidence from a climate and roof assembly similar to the building being considered.
Limitations and applicability: The review combines studies with different buildings and methods; reported averages are not a forecast for an individual home's bills.
n-Octadecane/Fumed Silica Phase Change Composite as Building Envelope for High Energy Efficiency
Giang Tien Nguyen; Ha Soo Hwang; Jiyoung Lee; Dong An Cha; In Park · 2021 · Nanomaterials · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/nano11030566
Finding or contribution: In a lamp-heated test room, a phase-change composite roof panel delayed indoor warming more effectively than the comparison polystyrene panel. The material stored heat near its melting temperature.
Household relevance: Thermal storage and insulation act differently and should be evaluated separately.
Illustration only: A phase-change panel might shift the timing of a temperature peak rather than eliminate heat entirely.
Limitations and applicability: A small experimental room under lamp heating does not establish annual performance, fire suitability or savings in a full-sized home.
Identifying the Most Efficient Natural Fibre for Common Commercial Building Insulation Materials with an Integrated PSI, MEREC, LOPCOW and MCRAT Model
Alptekin Ulutaş; Figen Balo; Ayşe Topal · 2023 · Polymers · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/polym15061500
Finding or contribution: The paper developed a multi-criteria method to rank natural-fibre insulation alternatives using several performance criteria. Its contribution was a decision framework rather than a new universal best insulation product.
Household relevance: Material selection depends on which requirements and trade-offs are prioritised.
Illustration only: Compare thermal performance, moisture behaviour and other project criteria together rather than choosing by one score.
Limitations and applicability: Rankings depend on the input data and decision method; they are not a substitute for product certification or climate-specific assembly design.
The Thermal and Mechanical Behaviour of Wood-PLA Composites Processed by Additive Manufacturing for Building Insulation
Bahar A; Hamami AEA; Benmahiddine F; Belhabib S; Belarbi R; Guessasma S · 2023 · Polymers · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/polym15143056
Finding or contribution: Tests of 3D-printed wood-PLA showed that printing infill affected thermal properties. Although the material's performance could be tuned, it remained less effective thermally than established insulation comparators in the study.
Household relevance: A novel or bio-based material is not automatically the best insulator.
Illustration only: Check measured thermal performance before replacing a conventional insulation thickness with a printed component.
Limitations and applicability: The results concern laboratory specimens and selected printing settings, without demonstrating whole-building savings or long-term durability.
Comparing the hydrological performance of an irrigated native vegetation green roof with a conventional Sedum spp. green roof in New York City
Shetty NH; Elliott RM; Wang M; Palmer MI; Culligan PJ · 2022 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266593
Finding or contribution: In New York, an irrigated native-vegetation roof showed stronger stormwater-management capacity than the compared non-irrigated Sedum roof. Greater plant water use contributed under suitable moisture and climate conditions.
Household relevance: Roof planting and irrigation affect runoff as well as thermal behaviour.
Illustration only: A housing project can compare irrigation needs with its runoff-reduction goals.
Limitations and applicability: Planting and irrigation differed together, so the result should not be attributed solely to native species or transferred unchanged to another climate.
A High-Resolution Open Source Platform for Building Envelope Thermal Performance Assessment Using a Wireless Sensor Network
Lihakanga R; Ding Y; Medero GM; Chapman S; Goussetis G · 2020 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s20061755
Finding or contribution: The authors developed and laboratory-tested an open-source wireless platform for measuring building-envelope thermal performance. It aimed to support continuous measurements at more locations than conventional isolated heat-flow testing.
Household relevance: Measured envelope performance can help identify problems that specifications alone miss.
Illustration only: A retrofit assessment could monitor several wall locations rather than rely on one reading.
Limitations and applicability: Laboratory validation does not establish accuracy under every field condition; sensor installation and measurement interpretation require appropriate expertise.
Friends with benefits: The effects of vegetative shading on plant survival in a green roof environment
Axton C. Aguiar; Sharon A. Robinson; Kristine French · 2019 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225078
Finding or contribution: Green-roof experiments found that shade improved growth for many plants, while growing alongside a shading plant also appeared to offer benefits beyond shade alone.
Household relevance: Plant interactions can help roof vegetation survive difficult exposure.
Illustration only: A roof planting design could combine compatible taller and lower plants rather than expose every species equally.
Limitations and applicability: The study used a particular substrate and limited species combinations; effects on building cooling and waterproofing were not established.
Development of a Green Roof Environmental Monitoring and Meteorological Network in New York City
Gaffin SR; Khanbilvardi R; Rosenzweig C · 2009 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s90402647
Finding or contribution: The paper described a New York network of instrumented green roofs, including sensors for weather and energy-balance measurements. It demonstrated a framework for studying roof performance at fine spatial scales.
Household relevance: Monitoring is needed to distinguish expected green-roof benefits from observed performance.
Illustration only: A community roof project could track rainfall, moisture and temperature before claiming savings.
Limitations and applicability: This is principally a monitoring-system study; broad benefits discussed in the paper are not all independently measured intervention outcomes.
3D printing for energy optimization of building envelope – Experimental results
de Rubeis T; Ciccozzi A; Paoletti D; Ambrosini D · 2024 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31107
Finding or contribution: Hot-box testing of three printed block geometries showed that internal cavity arrangement affected heat transfer. Adding horizontal partitions reduced the tested thermal transmittance relative to the simpler block.
Household relevance: Internal geometry can change thermal performance even when outside dimensions look similar.
Illustration only: Compare tested U-values rather than assuming two hollow blocks insulate equally.
Limitations and applicability: The small specimens were tested under steady laboratory conditions; results do not establish a complete wall's annual energy performance.
Development of a novel sandwich-structured composite from biopolymers and cellulose microfibers for building envelope applications
Masoud Dadras Chomachayi; Pierre Blanchet; Atif Hussain; Simon Pepin · 2023 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49273-0
Finding or contribution: The researchers developed bio-based sandwich membranes for building envelopes. Modified cellulose microfibres improved barrier performance and retained properties better than untreated fibres after accelerated ageing.
Household relevance: Moisture-control layers need durability testing as well as low-impact materials.
Illustration only: Ask how a proposed membrane's vapour performance changes after ageing.
Limitations and applicability: Accelerated material tests do not prove lifetime behaviour in every wall climate or establish compatibility with an existing assembly.
Bio-Based Rigid Polyurethane Foams Modified with C-MOF/MWCNTs and TBPBP as Building Insulation Materials: Synergistic Effect and Corresponding Mechanism for Enhancing Fire and Smoke Safety
Bo G; Xu X; Tian X; Yan J; Su X; Yan Y · 2022 · Polymers · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/polym14173630
Finding or contribution: The study combined additives in bio-based rigid polyurethane foam to improve laboratory mechanical, thermal and fire-smoke properties. Some additive combinations performed better than others, showing that formulation mattered.
Household relevance: Bio-based content and fire performance require separate evidence.
Illustration only: Compare tested products and relevant installed-assembly approvals rather than assuming all bio-based foam is equivalent.
Limitations and applicability: Experimental material tests do not establish household exposure, installation safety or compliance of a finished wall or roof system.
Analysis of Building Envelope Insulation Performance Utilizing Integrated Temperature and Humidity Sensors
Hung SS; Chang CY; Hsu CJ; Chen SW · 2012 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s120708987
Finding or contribution: Embedded temperature-humidity sensors monitored simulated wall and roof samples over time. The measurements showed that envelope temperature behaviour depended on materials, weather, orientation and solar conditions.
Household relevance: A wall's real performance reflects its exposure as well as its nominal insulation.
Illustration only: A west-facing wall may need different monitoring attention from a shaded wall using the same material.
Limitations and applicability: The study used simulated assemblies and a specific sensing system; it did not demonstrate savings for an occupied dwelling.
Development of predictive indices for evaluating the UHI adaptation potential of green roof- and wall-based scenarios in the Mediterranean climate
Tiziana Susca; Jacopo Iaria; Fabio Zanghirella · 2024 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67567-9
Finding or contribution: The authors developed predictive indices for cooling from green roofs, green façades and living walls under selected Mediterranean urban conditions. Vegetation characteristics and building parameters influenced modelled performance differently for each system.
Household relevance: Different building-greening systems should be assessed separately.
Illustration only: Compare a roof garden and a planted façade using their actual exposure and design.
Limitations and applicability: The indices have a restricted Mediterranean climate and urban-density range; small prediction errors within the dataset do not imply universal accuracy.
Additive manufacturing of eco-friendly building insulation materials by recycling pulp and paper†
Meng-Lun Lee; Arpita Sarkar; Zipeng Guo; Chi Zhou; Jason N. Armstrong; Shenqiang Ren · 2023 · Nanoscale Advances · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1039/d3na00036b
Finding or contribution: The researchers produced recycled-cellulose and silica-aerogel composites with low thermal conductivity, mechanical flexibility and strong water repellency in laboratory tests. They also explored additive manufacturing of the material.
Household relevance: Waste-derived insulation can be assessed through several measurable properties.
Illustration only: Compare a new recycled product's conductivity and moisture testing with established alternatives.
Limitations and applicability: Promising specimen properties do not establish commercial readiness, full assembly performance or long-term health and durability outcomes.
A study of green roof and impact on the temperature of buildings using integrated IoT system
Tseng KH; Chung MY; Chen LH; Chou LA · 2022 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20552-6
Finding or contribution: A monitored tropical-campus green-energy roof study reported lower indoor and solar-module temperatures for the evaluated systems. The project combined roof interventions with an IoT measurement platform over its observation period.
Household relevance: Roof design can influence both indoor conditions and rooftop equipment.
Illustration only: A building with solar panels could examine roof temperature and room temperature together.
Limitations and applicability: The findings concern specific monitored roof systems and a limited period; they do not guarantee the same result for another home or climate.
Fibre Optic FBG Sensors for Monitoring of the Temperature of the Building Envelope
Janusz Juraszek; Patrycja Antonik-Popiołek · 2021 · Materials · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ma14051207
Finding or contribution: Fibre-optic sensors successfully monitored temperatures within a building envelope. Comparisons with theoretical wall temperatures showed that agreement changed with outdoor humidity conditions, motivating a correction approach.
Household relevance: Modelled wall temperatures benefit from measurements under real weather conditions.
Illustration only: Investigate why measured heat flow differs from a design calculation before assuming insulation has failed.
Limitations and applicability: Results depend on the tested wall, sensors and observation conditions; the proposed correction is not automatically valid for every assembly.
Enhancing the thermal performance of expanded polystyrene with radiant barrier foil boards for improved building insulation
Paul O. Awoyera; Oluwarotimi Olofinnade; Shallom Olojede; Kennedy Onyelowe · 2025 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-04247-2
Finding or contribution: Laboratory testing of polystyrene combined with radiant-barrier foil reported improved thermal and moisture-related performance compared with its baseline. The composite also showed changes in small-scale fire behaviour.
Household relevance: Reflective layers and insulation need evaluation as a designed system.
Illustration only: Check the tested assembly and required air spaces before interpreting a foil product's advertised performance.
Limitations and applicability: The study used a small model under laboratory exposure; it does not establish code compliance or equivalent improvements in a full-sized house.
Achieving net zero energy heating by integrating the building envelope as a thermal battery
Zhi Y; Sun T; Gao D; Chen X; Wei G; Dai X; Yang X · 2024 · iScience · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109892
Finding or contribution: The paper proposed using a building envelope as thermal storage for photovoltaic heating and assessed its performance through system analysis and modelling. It explored how stored heat could help match fluctuating solar supply with heating demand.
Household relevance: A building's fabric can play a role in energy storage as well as heat loss.
Illustration only: A solar-heating design could assess when heat is stored and released relative to occupancy.
Limitations and applicability: System estimates and regional extrapolations are not evidence that an existing home can achieve net-zero heating without detailed redesign.
Hygric Behavior of Viticulture By-Product Composites for Building Insulation
Badouard C; Maalouf C; Bliard C; Polidori G; Bogard F · 2022 · Materials · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ma15030815
Finding or contribution: Laboratory tests found that composites made from grape-production by-products and starch differed in vapour permeability and moisture buffering. Several formulations had strong moisture-regulation capacity under the test method.
Household relevance: Bio-based insulation should be evaluated for moisture behaviour as well as conductivity.
Illustration only: Ask whether a proposed natural-fibre product suits the wall's expected humidity conditions.
Limitations and applicability: Moisture-buffering tests alone do not establish mould resistance, assembly durability or whole-house humidity control.
Parametric analysis of passive ultra-low energy building envelope performance in existing residential buildings
Hui Fang; Wen-Ke Li; Peng Dai · 2025 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-07421-8
Finding or contribution: A Qingdao residential case analysis found that envelope improvements, including airtightness measures, strongly influenced modelled retrofit energy savings. The most extensive scenario substantially outperformed the original and preliminary-retrofit cases.
Household relevance: Retrofit packages can interact rather than contribute identical independent savings.
Illustration only: Assess air sealing, insulation and openings together before estimating heating demand.
Limitations and applicability: Large savings are specific to the modelled building and baseline; airtightness changes also require appropriate ventilation design.
Developing an integrated model relating substrate water content to indoor temperature reduction for irrigation-decision support of a green roof
Pei-Yuan Chen; Chuan-Ching Pang; Guan-Yi Sung · 2024 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33983
Finding or contribution: The authors combined experiments, hydrological modelling and EnergyPlus to relate green-roof moisture to indoor-temperature reduction. The resulting model was intended to support irrigation decisions under specified roof and climate conditions.
Household relevance: Irrigation can influence roof cooling, but water use and thermal goals need joint assessment.
Illustration only: A roof manager could compare watering schedules against measured moisture and indoor conditions.
Limitations and applicability: Predictive accuracy depends on calibration and roof configuration; the procedure is not a universal watering prescription.
Role of Phase Change Materials Containing Carbonized Rice husks on the Roof-Surface and Indoor Temperatures for Cool Roof System Application
Hong Gun Kim; Yong-Sun Kim; Lee Ku Kwac; Mira Park; Hye Kyoung Shin · 2020 · Molecules · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/molecules25143280
Finding or contribution: Tests of phase-change roof materials containing carbonised rice husks showed that thermal response depended on the chosen phase-change substance and exposure range. Suitable combinations slowed warming and lowered measured temperatures in the experimental setup.
Household relevance: Thermal-storage materials need melting ranges suited to the intended climate.
Illustration only: A product useful near one summer temperature may offer little storage benefit at another.
Limitations and applicability: Laboratory roof tests do not establish annual savings or installed-system safety; surface and indoor temperature changes must be distinguished.

Indoor comfort & health

Building Vulnerability in a Changing Climate: Indoor Temperature Exposures and Health Outcomes in Older Adults Living in Public Housing during an Extreme Heat Event in Cambridge, MA
Augusta A. Williams; John D. Spengler; Paul Catalano; Joseph G. Allen; Jose G. Cedeno-Laurent · 2019 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16132373
Finding or contribution: Monitoring older public-housing residents during a Cambridge heat event linked higher indoor temperatures with disrupted sleep and increased physiological strain. Hydration behaviour changed little, and residents reported relatively few symptoms.
Household relevance: Subjective comfort alone may not reveal heat strain.
Illustration only: A housing team could monitor hot apartments and offer planned support rather than wait for complaints.
Limitations and applicability: The study involved a limited group and event; it does not establish a universal symptom threshold or individual medical diagnosis.
Disparities of indoor temperature in winter: A cross‐sectional analysis of the Nationwide Smart Wellness Housing Survey in Japan
Umishio W; Ikaga T; Fujino Y; Ando S; Kubo T; Nakajima Y; Hoshi T; Suzuki M; Kario K; Yoshimura T; Yoshino H; Murakami S · 2020 · Indoor Air · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/ina.12708
Finding or contribution: The Japanese housing survey found large winter indoor-temperature differences associated with household circumstances. Lower income and living alone were linked to colder conditions, while outdoor climate alone did not explain the pattern.
Household relevance: Cold housing can reflect affordability and heating practices as well as regional weather.
Illustration only: A single renter may heat one room while other rooms remain much colder.
Limitations and applicability: The cross-sectional baseline survey cannot show that income or a specific retrofit caused the temperature differences.
Effects of Daylong Exposure to Indoor Overheating on Thermal and Cardiovascular Strain in Older Adults: A Randomized Crossover Trial
Robert D. Meade; Ashley P. Akerman; Sean R. Notley; Nathalie V. Kirby; Ronald J. Sigal; Glen P. Kenny · 2024 · Environmental Health Perspectives · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1289/ehp13159
Finding or contribution: In a controlled crossover trial involving older adults, eight-hour exposures above 26°C produced progressively greater thermal and cardiovascular strain. Under the tested conditions, 26°C limited those responses compared with hotter exposures.
Household relevance: Indoor overheating can have measurable physiological effects before an emergency occurs.
Illustration only: A monitored apartment's daytime temperature can inform heat-preparedness planning.
Limitations and applicability: The small laboratory trial involved a limited age range and climate context; its temperature finding is not an individual guarantee of safety.
Indoor overheating: A review of vulnerabilities, causes, and strategies to prevent adverse human health outcomes during extreme heat events
Kenny GP; Tetzlaff EJ; Journeay WS; Henderson SB; O'Connor FK · 2024 · Temperature: Multidisciplinary Biomedical Journal · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.1080/23328940.2024.2361223
Finding or contribution: This review described how building design, exposure, vulnerability and cooling access shape indoor heat-health risk. It identified gaps in evidence for protective interventions and called for studies addressing vulnerable occupants.
Household relevance: Heat protection requires both suitable buildings and usable cooling support.
Illustration only: A retrofit discussion can consider shading and ventilation alongside whether residents can afford to operate cooling.
Limitations and applicability: The review does not establish one universally effective package or temperature threshold for every household.
Impact of increased ventilation on indoor temperature and malaria mosquito density: an experimental study in The Gambia
Ebrima Jatta; Majo Carrasco-Tenezaca; Musa Jawara; John Bradley; Sainey Ceesay; Umberto D'Alessandro; David Jeffries; Balla Kandeh; Daniel Sang-Hoon Lee; Margaret Pinder; Anne L. Wilson; Jakob Knudsen; Steve W. Lindsay · 2021 · Journal of the Royal Society Interface · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2020.1030
Finding or contribution: In experimental Gambian houses, screened cross-ventilation modestly reduced nighttime indoor temperature and substantially reduced mosquito entry. The authors linked mosquito changes partly to altered carbon-dioxide plumes.
Household relevance: Ventilation design can affect comfort and insect exposure together.
Illustration only: Opposing screened openings may serve different needs from a single unscreened opening.
Limitations and applicability: Results depend on experimental house layout, wind and local mosquitoes; they do not establish equal benefits in other climates or buildings.
Impact of indoor temperature instability on diurnal and day-by-day variability of home blood pressure in winter: a nationwide Smart Wellness Housing survey in Japan
Umishio W; Ikaga T; Kario K; Fujino Y; Suzuki M; Ando S; Hoshi T; Yoshimura T; Yoshino H; Murakami S · 2021 · Hypertension Research · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41440-021-00699-x
Finding or contribution: The Japanese survey associated unstable winter indoor temperatures with greater variation in home blood pressure. Outdoor-temperature instability did not show the same association in the analysis.
Household relevance: The stability of indoor conditions may matter as well as their average.
Illustration only: Monitor temperature changes between a heated living room and colder parts of a home.
Limitations and applicability: The cross-sectional baseline analysis cannot establish causation or prove that stabilising temperatures will change an individual's blood pressure.
A Longitudinal Study on the Impact of Indoor Temperature on Heat-Related Symptoms in Older Adults Living in Non–Air-Conditioned Households
Teyton A; Tremblay M; Tardif I; Lemieux MA; Nour K; Benmarhnia T · 2022 · Environmental Health Perspectives · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1289/ehp10291
Finding or contribution: Following older adults in non-air-conditioned homes, the study linked higher indoor temperatures with symptoms including thirst, fatigue, dry mouth and disturbed sleep. Several relationships were nonlinear.
Household relevance: Heat exposure can affect daily wellbeing before severe illness is reported.
Illustration only: A support programme could track bedroom heat and sleep disruption during a hot period.
Limitations and applicability: Observational symptom reports and local exposure conditions limit causal interpretation and transfer of thresholds to other populations.
A Case-Crossover Analysis of Indoor Heat Exposure on Mortality and Hospitalizations among the Elderly in Houston, Texas
O'Lenick CR; Baniassadi A; Michael R; Monaghan A; Boehnert J; Yu X; Hayden MH; Wiedinmyer C; Zhang K; Crank PJ; Heusinger J; Hoel P; Sailor DJ; Wilhelmi OV · 2020 · Environmental Health Perspectives · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1289/ehp6340
Finding or contribution: The Houston analysis estimated indoor heat exposure and examined short-term mortality and hospitalisation in older residents. Its findings suggested that indoor heat can contribute to health risk missed by outdoor-only assessment.
Household relevance: A neighbourhood with widespread air conditioning can still contain vulnerable hot homes.
Illustration only: Identify residents whose cooling is unavailable or unaffordable rather than assuming all homes are protected.
Limitations and applicability: Indoor exposure was modelled, with limited ability to stratify some health outcomes; individual rooms were not monitored throughout the population.
Dwelling Characteristics Influence Indoor Temperature and May Pose Health Threats in LMICs
June Teare; Angela Mathee; Nisha Naicker; Cheryl Swanepoel; Thandi Kapwata; Yusentha Balakrishna; David Jean du Preez; Danielle A. Millar; Caradee Y. Wright · 2020 · Annals of Global Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.5334/aogh.2938
Finding or contribution: Monitoring low-cost dwellings found that indoor conditions sometimes exceeded outdoor heat levels and differed with building characteristics. Cement-floored dwellings were cooler than the other floor types examined across seasons.
Household relevance: Construction details can modify how outdoor heat reaches residents.
Illustration only: Assess an actual room's temperature instead of assuming it matches the weather report.
Limitations and applicability: Flooring associations may reflect other dwelling differences; the study does not prove that changing floor material alone will cool a home.
Effect of Indoor Temperature on Physical Performance in Older Adults during Days with Normal Temperature and Heat Waves
Ulrich Lindemann; Anja Stotz; Nina Beyer; Juha Oksa; Dawn A. Skelton; Clemens Becker; Kilian Rapp; Jochen Klenk · 2017 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14020186
Finding or contribution: The study observed poorer physical performance in older adults under hot indoor conditions, particularly for chair-rise performance and some walking measures. Effects were not identical across all physical tasks.
Household relevance: Indoor heat can affect everyday mobility as well as comfort.
Illustration only: An older resident may find routine movement harder during a hot spell.
Limitations and applicability: The convenience sample limits generalisation, and the study does not establish that a particular exercise or cooling intervention prevents these effects.
Association between Indoor Temperature in Winter and Serum Cholesterol: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Smart Wellness Housing Survey in Japan
Umishio W; Ikaga T; Kario K; Fujino Y; Suzuki M; Hoshi T; Ando S; Yoshimura T; Yoshino H; Murakami S · 2022 · Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.5551/jat.63494
Finding or contribution: In the Japanese winter housing survey, colder bedrooms were associated with higher levels of some cholesterol measures. Associations were not consistent across every lipid indicator.
Household relevance: Housing conditions may be relevant context in population health research.
Illustration only: A housing-health assessment could record bedroom temperature alongside residents' broader circumstances.
Limitations and applicability: The cross-sectional study cannot establish that cold caused cholesterol differences or that insulation will replace clinical treatment.
Relationship between Perceived Indoor Temperature and Self-Reported Risk for Frailty among Community-Dwelling Older People
Nakajima Y; Schmidt SM; Malmgren Fänge A; Ono M; Ikaga T · 2019 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16040613
Finding or contribution: Older people reporting cold homes and economic dissatisfaction also reported greater frailty risk. The relationship was not the same among respondents satisfied with their financial circumstances.
Household relevance: Warmth, affordability and wellbeing can interact.
Illustration only: A support assessment could ask both whether a home feels cold and whether heating costs are manageable.
Limitations and applicability: Temperature and frailty were self-reported; observational associations do not establish the effect of a specific retrofit.
Indoor heat measurement data from low-income households in rural and urban South Asia
Premsagar Tasgaonkar; Dipak Zade; Sana Ehsan; Ganesh Gorti; Nabir Mamnun; Christian Siderius; Tanya Singh · 2022 · Scientific Data · Peer-reviewed data paper
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01314-5
Finding or contribution: This peer-reviewed data paper describes indoor temperature and humidity measurements from low-income rural and urban households in South Asia, using 206 indoor loggers and five outdoor weather stations.
Household relevance: Household monitoring can reveal exposure that regional weather data miss.
Illustration only: Researchers could compare indoor and outdoor nighttime heat in different housing types.
Limitations and applicability: This is a dataset publication, not a completed test of retrofit effectiveness or proof of any health effect.
Surviving indoor heat stress in United States: A comprehensive review exploring the impact of overheating on the thermal comfort, health, and social economic factors of occupants
Hampo CC; Schinasi LH; Hoque S · 2024 · Heliyon · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25801
Finding or contribution: The review examined US indoor overheating through building, health and socioeconomic factors. It highlighted situations where indoor temperatures exceeded outdoor conditions and identified gaps in standards and protective evidence.
Household relevance: Cooling access and housing quality belong in the same heat-risk discussion.
Illustration only: A renter may face a hot room even after outdoor temperatures begin falling.
Limitations and applicability: The synthesis combines diverse settings and methods; it does not validate one cooling solution for every dwelling.
Effect of roof colour on indoor temperature and human comfort levels, with implications for malaria control: a pilot study using experimental houses in rural Gambia
Majo Carrasco-Tenezaca; Ebrima Jatta; Musa Jawara; John Bradley; Margaret Pinder; Umberto D’Alessandro; Jakob Knudsen; Steve W. Lindsay · 2021 · Malaria Journal · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03951-4
Finding or contribution: In experimental Gambian houses, white-painted metal roofs produced cooler indoor conditions than bare metal roofs, including at night. The authors discussed potential comfort benefits relevant to bed-net use.
Household relevance: Roof reflectance can affect heat entering a lightly insulated dwelling.
Illustration only: A suitable roof coating could be assessed alongside other measures for a hot-climate home.
Limitations and applicability: This was a pilot in particular experimental houses; costs, durability and cooling effects cannot be assumed identical elsewhere.
Influence of Indoor Temperature Exposure on Emergency Department Visits Due to Infectious and Non-Infectious Respiratory Diseases for Older People
Chien-Cheng Jung; Nai-Tzu Chen; Ying-Fang Hsia; Nai-Yun Hsu; Huey-Jen Su · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105273
Finding or contribution: The study associated cumulative indoor-temperature exposure with respiratory emergency visits in older people, with different patterns by season and disease category. Duration as well as temperature influenced the exposure metric.
Household relevance: A brief peak and many hours of uncomfortable temperature are different exposure patterns.
Illustration only: A housing assessment could log how long rooms remain hot or cold.
Limitations and applicability: Exposure-response associations do not establish individual causation; modelled thresholds should not be treated as universal clinical limits.
The Impact on Blood Pressure of a Short-Term Change in Indoor Temperature
Chen X; Tu P; Sun XL; Hu TY; Wan J; Hu YW; Zhou HL; Su H · 2021 · International Journal of General Medicine · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s291431
Finding or contribution: A short controlled change between 18°C and 28°C altered systolic blood pressure among volunteers. Larger responses were observed in the older group with hypertension.
Household relevance: Rapid temperature changes can have physiological effects in susceptible groups.
Illustration only: Consider temperature differences between rooms when assessing an older resident's home.
Limitations and applicability: Age and hypertension differed between groups, and a brief experimental exposure does not establish long-term health outcomes or treatment advice.
Associations between indoor temperature, self-rated health and socioeconomic position in a cross-sectional study of adults in England
Joanna Sutton-Klein; Alison Moody; Ian Hamilton; Jennifer S Mindell · 2021 · BMJ Open · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038500
Finding or contribution: In an English cross-sectional study, worse self-rated health was associated with warmer indoor temperatures after adjustment. The authors noted that people in poorer health may choose or be advised to keep warmer homes.
Household relevance: An association between warmth and poor health can reflect who needs warmth.
Illustration only: A resident with illness may heat more than a healthier neighbour.
Limitations and applicability: Cross-sectional data cannot determine direction of causation; the finding does not show that warmer homes caused poor health.
Effect of Ceiling Fans on Core Temperature in Bed‐Resting Older Adults Exposed to Indoor Overheating
O'Connor FK; Meade RD; Janetos KT; Li-Maloney C; Sigal RJ; Boulay P; Kenny GP · 2026 · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · Brief research report
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/jgs.70109
Finding or contribution: The controlled study found that ceiling fans reduced physiological heat strain in bed-resting older adults under the tested conditions, but did not fully eliminate the need for environmental cooling.
Household relevance: Fans should be evaluated as part of a heat-protection strategy.
Illustration only: A housing cooling plan could consider fans together with access to cooler indoor air.
Limitations and applicability: The homogeneous laboratory sample and particular exposure conditions do not support treating fans as sufficient protection under every heat scenario.
Foot immersion with and without neck cooling reduces self-reported environmental symptoms in older adults exposed to simulated indoor overheating
O'Connor FK; McGarr GW; McCourt ER; Meade RD; Kenny GP · 2024 · Temperature: Multidisciplinary Biomedical Journal · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1080/23328940.2024.2394341
Finding or contribution: During simulated overheating, foot immersion with or without neck cooling reduced older adults' reported environmental symptoms but had little meaningful effect on core temperature or cardiovascular strain.
Household relevance: Feeling better does not necessarily mean physiological heat strain has resolved.
Illustration only: A resident using a local cooling method should not assume the room has become thermally safe.
Limitations and applicability: The trial used one hot laboratory condition and limited participants; it does not establish protection during prolonged real-world heatwaves.
Response Surface Methodology using desirability functions for multiobjective optimization to minimize indoor overheating hours and maximize useful daylight illuminance
Juan Gamero-Salinas; Jesús López-Fidalgo · 2025 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-96376-x
Finding or contribution: The building-simulation study optimised window area and roof overhangs to balance indoor overheating with useful daylight. Its response-surface approach found design combinations that improved the chosen objectives with relatively few simulations.
Household relevance: Shading and glazing should be assessed for comfort and daylight together.
Illustration only: A window redesign can reduce solar gains while checking whether rooms still receive useful daylight.
Limitations and applicability: The optimum depends on the case building, climate, objectives and model assumptions; it is not a transferable specification for every home.
Effects of ceiling fan use on cardiovascular autonomic function during simulated indoor overheating in bed‐resting older adults
Fergus K. O'Connor; Robert D. Meade; Kristina‐Marie T. Janetos; Norman R. Morris; Glen P. Kenny · 2026 · Experimental Physiology · Brief research report
Free full text · DOI: 10.1113/ep094066
Finding or contribution: In older adults exposed to prolonged indoor heat at 31°C, ceiling fans modestly reduced core temperature and heart rate but did not improve every autonomic or blood-pressure outcome.
Household relevance: Partial cooling benefits should not be mistaken for complete cardiovascular protection.
Illustration only: A fan-equipped room may still require access to cooler air during prolonged overheating.
Limitations and applicability: The controlled bed-resting laboratory setting and selected participants limit generalisation to daily activity, other temperatures and more vulnerable residents.
Association of Indoor Temperature Level and Mental Health Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Systematic Review
Min Kyung Park; Bada Kang; Dahye Hong; Seolah Yoon; Minsub Kim; Yubeen Kim; Zhao Ni; Eleanor S McConnell · 2025 · JMIR Public Health and Surveillance · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.2196/78257
Finding or contribution: This systematic review associated both hot and cold indoor conditions with mental-health outcomes in older adults. Sleep disturbance was the most consistently reported outcome; evidence for depression and anxiety was more limited.
Household relevance: Comfort assessments should include sleep and everyday wellbeing.
Illustration only: A housing survey could ask whether bedroom temperatures interfere with sleep.
Limitations and applicability: The included evidence varied in design and measurement; the review does not establish an optimal indoor temperature for every older person.
Effectiveness and feasibility of residential passive heat adaptation interventions on reducing indoor temperature in low-income communities in Africa: a systematic review
Ritah Nakanjako; Y T Eunice Lo; Ebrahim Behardien; Vuyisile Moyo; Millicent Afi Sitsofe Kwawu; Queen Marekera; Doreen Larkailey Lartey; Mark New; Guy Howard · 2026 · Environmental Research, Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.1088/2752-5309/ae87bf
Finding or contribution: The systematic review found that several passive adaptations reduced indoor temperatures in studied low-income African settings. It also identified gaps in long-term performance, scalability and community acceptability.
Household relevance: A technically effective measure must also fit residents' circumstances.
Illustration only: Compare roof reflectance, shading and ventilation with local maintenance capacity and preferences.
Limitations and applicability: Many studies used prototype houses, and reported cooling values combine different interventions and conditions; no single reduction is guaranteed.
Assessing the Impact of Thermal Coating Paints on Indoor Temperature and Energy Efficiency in Colombian Caribbean Homes
Frank Florez-Montes; Antonio Martínez-Lengua; Miguel E. Iglesias-Martínez; John Alexander Taborda Giraldo; Eduardo Balvis; Fernanda Peset; Romeo J. Selvas-Aguilar; Juan Carlos Castro-Palacio; Juan A. Monsoriu; Pedro Fernández de Córdoba · 2025 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s25030842
Finding or contribution: The Colombian Caribbean pilot reported reduced thermal loads and varying temperature responses in homes treated with thermal coatings. Performance differed between houses rather than following one uniform effect.
Household relevance: Coatings should be assessed on the actual building and exposure.
Illustration only: Compare indoor measurements before and after a suitable coating while recording outdoor weather.
Limitations and applicability: Pilot comparisons and percentage-based reporting do not establish a universal degree reduction or equivalent reduction in electricity bills.

Home energy & retrofits

Home energy efficiency and radon related risk of lung cancer: modelling study
Milner J; Shrubsole C; Das P; Jones B; Ridley I; Chalabi Z; Hamilton I; Armstrong B; Davies M; Wilkinson P · 2014 · The BMJ · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f7493
Finding or contribution: The UK modelling study found that reducing dwelling ventilation without suitable remediation could increase radon exposure and associated lung-cancer risk. It argued for incorporating indoor-air safeguards into energy-efficiency policy.
Household relevance: Air sealing and ventilation should be designed together.
Illustration only: A retrofit plan can include radon assessment and suitable ventilation rather than insulation alone.
Limitations and applicability: Health impacts were modelled and depend on assumptions about housing, exposure and ventilation-system performance; this is not evidence against energy retrofits generally.
Health effects of home energy efficiency interventions in England: a modelling study
Hamilton I; Milner J; Chalabi Z; Das P; Jones B; Shrubsole C; Davies M; Wilkinson P · 2015 · BMJ Open · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007298
Finding or contribution: Modelling English housing interventions showed potential health benefits from warmer homes and reduced pollutant exposure when ventilation was implemented appropriately. Poorly balanced changes could instead worsen some indoor exposures.
Household relevance: The healthiest retrofit package depends on both temperature and air quality.
Illustration only: A housing provider can assess ventilation when improving insulation and airtightness.
Limitations and applicability: Modelled health estimates contain substantial uncertainty and do not replace monitored evidence from completed retrofits.
Reviewed correction notice: Correction: omitted acknowledgements restored.
Home energy efficiency and radon: An observational study
Symonds P; Rees D; Daraktchieva Z; McColl N; Bradley J; Hamilton I; Davies M · 2019 · Indoor Air · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/ina.12575
Finding or contribution: A linked UK housing-radon dataset associated certain fabric retrofits, particularly replacement glazing, with higher indoor radon measurements than homes without recorded retrofits.
Household relevance: Improved energy performance should accompany indoor-air checks.
Illustration only: After a substantial airtightness-related upgrade, a homeowner can seek appropriate radon testing and ventilation assessment.
Limitations and applicability: This observational comparison cannot prove that each retrofit caused the measured difference; records and unmeasured dwelling characteristics may affect results.
The short-term health and psychosocial impacts of domestic energy efficiency investments in low-income areas: a controlled before and after study
Grey CN; Jiang S; Nascimento C; Rodgers SE; Johnson R; Lyons RA; Poortinga W · 2017 · BMC Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4075-4
Finding or contribution: The controlled before-and-after study found better subjective wellbeing, thermal satisfaction and some psychosocial outcomes following energy-efficiency investment in low-income areas. Broad short-term physical-health improvements were less clear.
Household relevance: Retrofit benefits may include reduced worry and improved daily living conditions.
Illustration only: A warmer home may let residents use more rooms without the same financial anxiety.
Limitations and applicability: Short follow-up and observational implementation limit claims about long-term health gains and individual causal effects.
Load Balancing Integrated Least Slack Time-Based Appliance Scheduling for Smart Home Energy Management
Bhagya Nathali Silva; Murad Khan; Kijun Han · 2018 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s18030685
Finding or contribution: Computer simulations showed that appliance scheduling with load balancing could reduce energy costs while respecting specified user-comfort constraints. An automatic switch-off feature also reduced modelled consumption.
Household relevance: Changing when appliances operate differs from reducing the energy they require.
Illustration only: A household on a time-varying tariff might schedule a flexible appliance outside expensive periods.
Limitations and applicability: Savings depend on simulated appliances, tariffs and acceptable schedules; results are not a measured guarantee for real households.
Beyond technology adoption: Examining home energy management systems, energy burdens and climate change perceptions during COVID-19 pandemic
Chen CF; Nelson H; Xu X; Bonilla G; Jones N · 2021 · Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111066
Finding or contribution: The survey found income-related differences in energy resources, burdens and some attitudes toward home energy-management systems. Lower-income households' circumstances could not be understood from technology adoption alone.
Household relevance: Smart-home programmes need affordability and trust considerations.
Illustration only: Offer practical support and clear costs alongside a smart-control installation.
Limitations and applicability: Survey associations during the pandemic do not prove that installing an energy-management system reduces hardship or delivers equal benefits across incomes.
Changes in Domestic Energy and Water Usage during the UK COVID-19 Lockdown Using High-Resolution Temporal Data
Tamaryn Menneer; Zening Qi; Timothy Taylor; Cheryl Paterson; Gengyang Tu; Lewis R. Elliott; Karyn Morrissey; Markus Mueller · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18136818
Finding or contribution: High-resolution UK utility data showed changes in household gas, electricity and water use during lockdown, including shifted daily peaks. Staying home changed demand patterns, with implications for disadvantaged households' ability to meet increased needs.
Household relevance: Energy demand depends on occupancy and routines.
Illustration only: Working from home may increase daytime heating or appliance needs even without changing the building.
Limitations and applicability: Pandemic conditions were unusual, and weather and household differences complicate attribution of every change to lockdown.
IoT Operating System Based Fuzzy Inference System for Home Energy Management System in Smart Buildings
Qurat-ul Ain; Sohail Iqbal; Safdar Abbas Khan; Asad Waqar Malik; Iftikhar Ahmad; Nadeem Javaid · 2018 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s18092802
Finding or contribution: The paper simulated a sensor-informed fuzzy-control system using temperature, occupancy, set-points and tariffs. It reported lower energy use than comparison control approaches under the examined conditions.
Household relevance: Controls can coordinate comfort needs with energy use.
Illustration only: A heating controller might respond differently when a room is occupied and when it is empty.
Limitations and applicability: Reported savings vary by simulation comparison; they are not validated annual savings for an occupied home.
Design and Implementation of a Cloud-IoT-Based Home Energy Management System
Felipe Condon; José M. Martínez; Ali M. Eltamaly; Young-Chon Kim; Mohamed A. Ahmed · 2022 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s23010176
Finding or contribution: The researchers implemented local and cloud-based home energy-management architectures that collected data and controlled appliances. The work demonstrated technical operation and provided high-frequency measurements from a Chilean household.
Household relevance: Monitoring and control infrastructure can make household demand more visible.
Illustration only: A resident could use appliance-level information to identify when a high-load device operates.
Limitations and applicability: Technical feasibility does not establish energy savings, cybersecurity adequacy or affordability for every household.
Home Energy Efficiency and Subjective Health in Greater London
P. Symonds; N. Verschoor; Z. Chalabi; J. Taylor; M. Davies · 2021 · Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s11524-021-00513-6
Finding or contribution: The London analysis associated better energy ratings with lower gas consumption and examined links between housing efficiency, infiltration and self-rated health. The authors stressed maintaining adequate air exchange.
Household relevance: Energy upgrades should balance heat retention with ventilation.
Illustration only: Compare a home's rating with actual consumption and ventilation condition before choosing measures.
Limitations and applicability: Energy-certificate data and area-level health analysis have limitations; observed associations are not a direct estimate of one household's health benefit.
A Multi-Objective Demand Response Optimization Model for Scheduling Loads in a Home Energy Management System
Veras JM; Silva IRS; Pinheiro PR; Rabêlo RAL; Veloso AFS; Borges FAS; Rodrigues JJPC · 2018 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s18103207
Finding or contribution: The optimisation study scheduled household loads under multiple objectives and user constraints. It found lower simulated electricity costs, with savings differing across the examined household and location scenarios.
Household relevance: Flexible demand can reduce cost under suitable tariffs without equal reductions in consumption.
Illustration only: A household might delay a dishwasher if that fits its routine and tariff.
Limitations and applicability: Modelled results depend on equipment, comfort constraints and prices; real-world use may differ from the assumed schedule.
Householders’ Mental Models of Domestic Energy Consumption: Using a Sort-And-Cluster Method to Identify Shared Concepts of Appliance Similarity
Gabe-Thomas E; Walker I; Verplanken B; Shaddick G · 2016 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158949
Finding or contribution: Participants grouped domestic appliances mainly by activities and location rather than energy consumption. Shared mental categories were limited, suggesting that household energy messages may work better when connected to familiar routines.
Household relevance: Energy guidance should use concepts residents already understand.
Illustration only: Discuss laundry or cooking routines rather than only abstract kilowatt-hours.
Limitations and applicability: The sorting study did not test whether revised messages actually reduced measured consumption.
Outcomes from the Victorian Healthy Homes Program: a randomised control trial of home energy upgrades
Katie Page; Lutfun Hossain; Dan Liu; Yo Han Kim; Kerryn Wilmot; Patricia Kenny; Margaret Campbell; Toby Cumming; Scott Kelly; Thomas Longden; Kees van Gool; Rosalie Viney; Victorian Healthy Homes Program (VHHP) TeamFallettaJayGoodallStephenHaywoodPhilKrishnanDeepuMulhernBrendanSoebergMatthew · 2025 · BMJ Open · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082340
Finding or contribution: The Victorian randomised trial found that modest home upgrades increased winter indoor warmth and improved comfort, mental health and social-care-related quality of life, with lower overall healthcare costs during follow-up.
Household relevance: Home improvements can deliver benefits beyond energy bills.
Illustration only: A support programme could evaluate comfort and wellbeing alongside meter readings.
Limitations and applicability: Results reflect the trial population, upgrades and winter follow-up; they do not guarantee identical health or cost benefits in another programme.
A Smart Home Energy Management System Using Two-Stage Non-Intrusive Appliance Load Monitoring over Fog-Cloud Analytics Based on Tridium’s Niagara Framework for Residential Demand-Side Management
Chen YY; Chen MH; Chang CM; Chang FS; Lin YH · 2021 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s21082883
Finding or contribution: The study developed and demonstrated a smart-home prototype that inferred appliance activity from aggregate electrical measurements using a two-stage analytical approach. It showed feasibility for residential demand-side management.
Household relevance: Detailed energy information may be obtained without a meter on every appliance.
Illustration only: A household dashboard could estimate which devices contribute to peaks.
Limitations and applicability: Prototype performance does not establish universal identification accuracy, long-term reliability or actual bill savings.
Home Energy Management System Incorporating Heat Pump Using Real Measured Data †
Zhengnan Cao; Fergal O’Rourke; William Lyons; Xiaoqing Han · 2019 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s19132937
Finding or contribution: Using measured heat-pump data and a thermal model, the authors compared control-optimisation methods across five winter days. Optimised schedules reduced calculated operating costs while meeting defined comfort constraints.
Household relevance: Heat-pump timing and tariff conditions can influence running cost.
Illustration only: A controller might preheat within an acceptable temperature range before an expensive period.
Limitations and applicability: The comparison covers a short period and modelled control alternatives; the reported cost reduction is not guaranteed annual savings.
Optimizing home energy management: Robust and efficient solutions powered by attention networks
Nutakki M; Mandava S · 2024 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26397
Finding or contribution: The paper compared machine-learning approaches for forecasting household electrical load and solar generation. Transformer-based attention models improved the reported forecasting performance within the evaluated setup.
Household relevance: Forecasting can support energy management, but better prediction is not itself a saving.
Illustration only: A control system could use expected solar production when planning flexible appliance operation.
Limitations and applicability: Performance depends on datasets and tuning; the study does not demonstrate equivalent savings after installation in diverse occupied homes.
Model for Managing the Integration of a Vehicle-to-Home Unit into an Intelligent Home Energy Management System
Ohoud Almughram; Sami Ben Slama; Bassam Zafar · 2022 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s22218142
Finding or contribution: The study modelled coordination of rooftop solar, household demand and vehicle-to-home storage. It showed potential to use a vehicle battery to address demand-supply mismatches under the specified operating constraints.
Household relevance: A vehicle can be considered within a wider home-energy system.
Illustration only: An equipped household might use stored electricity during a peak-price period.
Limitations and applicability: Feasibility depends on compatible equipment, vehicle availability and battery constraints; the model does not establish universal backup capability or economic benefit.
Design and Development of an IoT Smart Meter with Load Control for Home Energy Management Systems
Omar Munoz; Adolfo Ruelas; Pedro Rosales; Alexis Acuña; Alejandro Suastegui; Fernando Lara · 2022 · Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/s22197536
Finding or contribution: The researchers built and calibrated an internet-connected smart meter with appliance load control. Tests demonstrated electrical measurements and manual or automatic switching through a web interface.
Household relevance: Measurement and control are enabling functions rather than proof of savings.
Illustration only: A household could monitor a selected load before deciding whether its schedule should change.
Limitations and applicability: Prototype accuracy under test conditions does not establish certification, safe installation or lifetime performance of a commercial meter.
Cross-sectoral trade-offs in a changing climate: Surrogate models to balance home energy bills, occupant comfort, and power system externalities
Nawawi S; Yi M; Craig M; Deetjen T; Vaishnav P · 2025 · iScience · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112728
Finding or contribution: The modelling study examined trade-offs among home energy costs, thermal discomfort and power-system effects. Building age and household circumstances influenced the cost of improving comfort, with unequal burdens in many comparisons.
Household relevance: The same comfort improvement can cost different households different amounts.
Illustration only: An older rental home may require more energy expenditure than a newer home for similar comfort.
Limitations and applicability: Surrogate-model scenarios and estimated incomes do not establish every household's actual costs or preferences.
Examining spatial variations in the relationship between domestic energy consumption and its driving factors using multiscale geographically weighted regression: a case study in Nottingham, England
Feng Y; Miao Y; Turner E · 2025 · Energy, Sustainability and Society · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1186/s13705-025-00523-1
Finding or contribution: In Nottingham, spatial modelling found that relationships between domestic energy consumption and household or dwelling characteristics varied across neighbourhoods. A single citywide relationship concealed some local differences.
Household relevance: Place-specific retrofit policy may fit better than uniform targeting.
Illustration only: Compare local housing stock and household needs before applying one city's average consumption assumption.
Limitations and applicability: Area-level spatial associations cannot explain every household's behaviour or establish which intervention will cause the greatest savings.
State-of-the-art and real-time implementation of an IoT-based home energy management system for a cluster of dwellings
Ramachandra N; Natarajan R · 2024 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35887
Finding or contribution: The study implemented an IoT home energy-management architecture and evaluated load scheduling for individual and clustered dwellings. Its cluster analysis showed potential reductions in cost and peak-to-average demand.
Household relevance: Coordinating flexible loads can affect neighbourhood peaks as well as individual bills.
Illustration only: A housing development could assess whether appliance schedules can be coordinated without disrupting residents.
Limitations and applicability: Cluster benefits rely on assumed participation, equipment and schedules; broader real-world scalability and user preferences require further testing.
Data privacy and smart home energy appliances: A stated choice experiment
Du H; Han Q; Yang D; de Vries B; van Houten T · 2023 · Heliyon · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21448
Finding or contribution: A stated-choice experiment examined willingness to share smart-appliance data. Preferences differed with demographic characteristics, while privacy attitudes did not translate simply into choices.
Household relevance: Energy services should make data-sharing terms clear and usable.
Illustration only: Before adopting a smart thermostat, compare what data it collects and who receives them.
Limitations and applicability: Hypothetical choices may differ from actual purchasing behaviour, and older people were underrepresented.
The short-term effect of residential home energy retrofits on indoor air quality and microbial exposure: A case-control study
Nguyen M; Holmes EC; Angenent LT · 2021 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230700
Finding or contribution: The case-control study found warmer, less humid conditions after weatherisation, alongside increased radon and changes in indoor microbial communities. Seasonal changes affected some microbial measures.
Household relevance: Retrofits can alter several indoor conditions at once.
Illustration only: A post-retrofit check could assess air quality as well as temperature and comfort.
Limitations and applicability: Short follow-up, a limited housing sample and seasonal influences restrict generalisation and attribution of every microbial change to weatherisation.
Understanding homeowner decision-making through demographics: Barriers to housing retrofit at scale
Panakaduwa C; Coates P; Munir M · 2025 · PLOS One · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0338740
Finding or contribution: The homeowner survey found that perceived investment returns and concern about unintended consequences influenced retrofit decisions. Demographic relationships were selective, with education and age contributing to some patterns.
Household relevance: Clear information about costs, outcomes and disruption can support decisions.
Illustration only: A retrofit adviser could explain uncertainty and likely household impacts before asking a homeowner to commit.
Limitations and applicability: Survey-based attitudes do not prove what households will install; demographic associations are not universal rules for targeting programmes.
Heterogeneous impact of low-income home energy assistance program on energy consumption behavior
Hunter-Hill J; Nock D; Laasme H · 2025 · iScience · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113306
Finding or contribution: The study found that low-income energy assistance had heterogeneous relationships with household consumption. The effects differed across circumstances, supporting evaluation beyond a single average programme outcome.
Household relevance: Assistance may change how much needed energy a household can use.
Illustration only: A supported family might increase heating toward adequate comfort rather than reduce consumption.
Limitations and applicability: Programme data and analytical assumptions limit causal interpretation; findings do not establish the effect of all assistance designs or regions.

Housing & climate equity

Energy, Poverty, and Health in Climate Change: A Comprehensive Review of an Emerging Literature
Sonal Jessel; Samantha Sawyer; Diana Hernández · 2019 · Frontiers in Public Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00357
Finding or contribution: The review linked unmet household energy needs with physical health, mental health and overlapping material hardship. It argued that climate change and inequality should be incorporated more fully into energy-insecurity research and policy.
Household relevance: Energy access means being able to meet daily needs, not merely having a connection.
Illustration only: A household may restrict heating to one room while sacrificing food or other essentials.
Limitations and applicability: The literature spans varied definitions and settings; the review does not quantify a single causal health effect or intervention benefit.
Health, Well-Being and Energy Poverty in Europe: A Comparative Study of 32 European Countries
Thomson H; Snell C; Bouzarovski S · 2017 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14060584
Finding or contribution: Across 32 European countries, energy-poor respondents generally reported poorer health and emotional wellbeing. The size of the gap varied between countries and was not explained simply by national prosperity.
Household relevance: Energy hardship can be substantial even in relatively wealthy societies.
Illustration only: A support programme should assess household needs rather than assume a prosperous region has none.
Limitations and applicability: The exploratory survey comparison uses self-reported conditions and cannot establish the direction of health-energy-poverty relationships.
Unveiling hidden energy poverty using the energy equity gap
Shuchen Cong; Destenie Nock; Yueming Lucy Qiu; Bo Xing · 2022 · Nature Communications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30146-5
Finding or contribution: The authors developed an energy-equity-gap measure to identify households that may under-consume energy relative to comfortable conditions. It identified a substantially different group from a conventional income-based energy-burden measure.
Household relevance: Low bills can conceal unmet heating or cooling needs.
Illustration only: A household keeping a bedroom uncomfortably warm to save money may be missed by bill-based screening.
Limitations and applicability: The new metric depends on modelled reference conditions and the studied sample; it complements rather than replaces every other poverty measure.
Rethinking the measurement of energy poverty in Europe: A critical analysis of indicators and data
Harriet Thomson; Stefan Bouzarovski; Carolyn Snell · 2017 · Indoor + Built Environment · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1177/1420326x17699260
Finding or contribution: The paper critically assessed European energy-poverty indicators and available survey data. It showed that different definitions and datasets can identify different populations and prevalence levels.
Household relevance: How hardship is measured influences who qualifies for support.
Illustration only: Combine questions about cold rooms and arrears with income and bill information.
Limitations and applicability: This is an indicator assessment, not a trial; no single measure captures every household's needs or local institutional context.
Cold homes, fuel poverty and energy efficiency improvements: A longitudinal focus group approach
Charlotte N. B. Grey; Tina Schmieder-Gaite; Shiyu Jiang; Christina Nascimento; Wouter Poortinga · 2017 · Indoor + Built Environment · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1177/1420326x17703450
Finding or contribution: Longitudinal focus groups described cold housing as affecting stress, social life, use of rooms and wellbeing. Energy-efficiency improvements often helped, but the process of receiving work could itself be stressful.
Household relevance: Programme delivery matters alongside the installed measures.
Illustration only: Provide clear schedules and resident support when upgrading an occupied home.
Limitations and applicability: Qualitative accounts offer depth rather than population-wide effect estimates and cannot isolate every causal pathway.
Multidimensional Energy Poverty and Mental Health: Micro-Level Evidence from Ghana
Lin B; Okyere MA · 2020 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186726
Finding or contribution: Ghanaian household analysis linked multidimensional energy deprivation with worse mental-health outcomes. Different deprivations, including inadequate appliance access and reliance on traditional fuels, contributed differently.
Household relevance: Energy hardship includes services such as cooking and food storage.
Illustration only: Assess whether a household can refrigerate food and cook cleanly rather than asking only about electricity connection.
Limitations and applicability: Statistical associations depend on measurement and modelling choices; they do not establish that providing one appliance will resolve mental-health difficulties.
The effect of energy poverty on mental health, cardiovascular disease and respiratory health: a longitudinal analysis
Rebecca Bentley; Lyrian Daniel; Yuxi Li; Emma Baker; Ang Li · 2023 · The Lancet Regional Health: Western Pacific · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100734
Finding or contribution: The longitudinal analysis found a robust relationship between inability to afford adequate home warmth and poorer mental health. Cardiovascular evidence was less consistent in sensitivity checks, and respiratory-disease onset showed little evidence of an effect.
Household relevance: The strongest finding should be separated from weaker or uncertain outcomes.
Illustration only: A warmth-support programme could measure financial stress and mental wellbeing as well as physical symptoms.
Limitations and applicability: Observational longitudinal models cannot eliminate all confounding and did not assess every disease exacerbation pathway.
Multiple aspects of energy poverty are associated with lower mental health-related quality of life: A modelling study in three peri-urban African communities
Shupler M; Baame M; Nix E; Tawiah T; Lorenzetti F; Saah J; Anderson de Cuevas R; Sang E; Puzzolo E; Mangeni J; Betang E; Twumasi M; Amenga-Etego S; Quansah R; Mbatchou B; Menya D; Asante KP; Pope D · 2022 · Ssm. Mental Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100103
Finding or contribution: In three peri-urban African communities, aspects of cooking-related energy poverty were associated with poorer mental-health-related quality of life among women. Fuel collection injuries also related to some physical-health measures.
Household relevance: Household energy services can carry time, safety and wellbeing burdens.
Illustration only: Compare clean-cooking access with the time and risks involved in obtaining fuel.
Limitations and applicability: The modelling uses observational community data; it does not prove that switching fuels alone causes the reported quality-of-life differences.
“It’s changed my life not to have the continual worry of being warm” – health and wellbeing impacts of a local fuel poverty programme: a mixed-methods evaluation
Sawyer A; Sherriff N; Bishop D; Darking M; Huber JW · 2022 · BMC Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-12994-4
Finding or contribution: A mixed-methods evaluation of a local fuel-poverty programme found consistent reports of improved warmth, reduced worry and less isolation following major heating or insulation measures.
Household relevance: Affordable warmth can improve how residents use and experience their homes.
Illustration only: A resident may feel able to invite visitors once the main living space is comfortably heated.
Limitations and applicability: The evaluation design limits causal claims; beneficiary reports and programme-specific delivery may not generalise to every retrofit scheme.
Energy Poverty and Low Carbon Just Energy Transition: Comparative Study in Lithuania and Greece
Streimikiene D; Kyriakopoulos GL; Lekavicius V; Siksnelyte-Butkiene I · 2021 · Social Indicators Research · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s11205-021-02685-9
Finding or contribution: Comparing Lithuania and Greece, the paper developed an indicator framework linking low-carbon transition with social, economic and environmental conditions. It argued that energy-poverty reduction should be assessed alongside decarbonisation progress.
Household relevance: A lower-carbon system should also be evaluated for household affordability.
Illustration only: Compare a proposed heating transition's running costs and support measures for low-income residents.
Limitations and applicability: Country-level indicators simplify diverse household situations and do not estimate the outcome of a particular home retrofit.
Do unemployment benefits and economic aids to pay electricity bills remove the energy poverty risk of Spanish family units during lockdown? A study of COVID-19-induced lockdown
David Bienvenido-Huertas · 2021 · Energy Policy · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.112117
Finding or contribution: Spanish lockdown scenarios showed that unemployment benefits and bill assistance could reduce but did not necessarily eliminate household energy-poverty risk. The authors explored support varying with income and season.
Household relevance: A fixed discount may not match changing household needs.
Illustration only: A family spending more time at home may need different assistance in winter and summer.
Limitations and applicability: Results come from specified household and lockdown scenarios rather than a direct evaluation of every recipient's realised experience.
The association of energy poverty with health, health care utilisation and medication use in southern Europe
Laura Oliveras; Lucia Artazcoz; Carme Borrell; Laia Palència; María José López; Mercè Gotsens; Andrés Peralta; Marc Marí-Dell’Olmo · 2020 · SSM - Population Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100665
Finding or contribution: In Barcelona, energy poverty was associated with poorer health, greater healthcare use and more medication use. Disadvantaged groups experienced a disproportionate share of hardship.
Household relevance: Energy affordability is relevant to public health and housing equity.
Illustration only: A local assessment could connect energy-support services with community health outreach.
Limitations and applicability: The cross-sectional survey cannot establish whether energy poverty caused each health outcome or distinguish all overlapping disadvantages.
Fleeting energy protections: State and utility level policy responses to energy poverty in the United States during COVID-19
Dominic J. Bednar; Tony G. Reames · 2023 · Energy Research & Social Science · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2023.103045
Finding or contribution: Across major US metropolitan areas, pandemic-era utility protections differed in type, timing and authority. Support was uneven relative to household energy burdens.
Household relevance: Where a household lives can affect the protections available during a crisis.
Illustration only: Compare local disconnection rules and assistance access when designing tenant support.
Limitations and applicability: The policy review captures a particular crisis period and does not establish long-term effectiveness or current eligibility rules.
Energy Poverty and Depression in Rural China: Evidence from the Quantile Regression Approach
Zhang J; He Y; Zhang J · 2022 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19021006
Finding or contribution: The rural China analysis found that energy poverty's relationship with depression differed across the depression-score distribution. Associations were stronger among people already at higher risk.
Household relevance: Average relationships can hide differences in vulnerability.
Illustration only: An energy-support assessment could recognise that similar hardship may have different wellbeing consequences.
Limitations and applicability: Regression and instrumental-variable conclusions depend on assumptions; the study does not establish an individual diagnosis or guaranteed intervention effect.
Fuel poverty and financial distress
Burlinson A; Giulietti M; Law C; Liu HH · 2021 · Energy Economics · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105464
Finding or contribution: The study linked fuel poverty with financial distress and expectations about future finances, including during the early pandemic. It argued that energy-support policies should consider wider household financial consequences.
Household relevance: Heating costs can interact with other debts and essential spending.
Illustration only: A resident may postpone bills or necessities to keep a home warm.
Limitations and applicability: Econometric evidence does not remove every source of confounding, and results do not establish the effect of each possible support programme.
Assessing the impact of energy and fuel poverty on health: a European scoping review
Sarah N Champagne; Euan Phimister; Jennie I Macdiarmid; Aravinda Meera Guntupalli · 2023 · The European Journal of Public Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckad108
Finding or contribution: The European scoping review found links between energy or fuel poverty and several health domains, especially respiratory symptoms, mental health and wellbeing. Children and older adults appeared particularly vulnerable in the literature.
Household relevance: Health can be an important outcome of energy-poverty policy.
Illustration only: A housing programme could track comfort, respiratory symptoms and wellbeing alongside affordability.
Limitations and applicability: Heterogeneous definitions and study designs limit direct comparison and do not yield one universal causal effect size.
Reviewed correction notice: Correction: additional author affiliation restored.
Multidimensional energy poverty and depression among China's older adults
Jianming Hou; Wenjian Zhou; Yang Jiang · 2022 · Frontiers in Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.977958
Finding or contribution: The study associated multidimensional energy poverty with greater depression among older Chinese adults. Relationships differed by location and living arrangement, with life satisfaction examined as a possible pathway.
Household relevance: Living alone and local infrastructure can matter when identifying support needs.
Illustration only: An older resident with limited energy services may need both housing and social support.
Limitations and applicability: Mediation and regional patterns are model-based observational findings, not proof of a causal mechanism or a specific programme's effectiveness.
EU climate action through an energy poverty lens
Toon Vandyck; Nives Della Valle; Umed Temursho; Matthias Weitzel · 2023 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32705-2
Finding or contribution: The modelling analysis found that climate-policy design could worsen or reduce energy poverty. Income-targeted recycling of policy revenues offered a way to offset adverse distributional effects in the examined scenarios.
Household relevance: Decarbonisation outcomes depend partly on how costs and support are distributed.
Illustration only: Compare a carbon-pricing proposal with its household rebates rather than assessing the price alone.
Limitations and applicability: Scenario estimates rely on economic and behavioural assumptions and should not be treated as predictions for every household.
Cool? Young people investigate living in cold housing and fuel poverty. A mixed methods action research study
Kimberley C. O'Sullivan; Philippa Howden-Chapman; Dalice Sim; James Stanley; Rebekah L. Rowan; Isobel K. Harris Clark; Lydia L.A. Morrison; The Waiopehu College 2015 Research Team · 2017 · SSM - Population Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2016.12.006
Finding or contribution: The New Zealand mixed-methods study found that cold housing and fuel-poverty indicators were important problems for young people, including those in rental housing. Young participants also expressed concern about the need for policy action.
Household relevance: Housing warmth is relevant beyond older or medically vulnerable groups.
Illustration only: Ask student renters whether heating costs prevent them from using their living space comfortably.
Limitations and applicability: Recruitment and retention constrained the qualitative component, and survey associations do not establish retrofit effects.
A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health
Chengju Wang; Juan Wang; Dan Norbäck · 2022 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127393
Finding or contribution: The systematic review found potential health benefits from efficient heating and insulation, particularly in fuel-poor homes, but highlighted ventilation-related risks. Airtightness improvements could worsen some exposures unless indoor-air management was considered.
Household relevance: Healthy retrofits address heat loss and pollutant control together.
Illustration only: Include ventilation assessment when planning insulation and air sealing.
Limitations and applicability: The evidence combines different interventions and designs; mechanical ventilation performance also depends on outdoor pollution, installation and operation.
Localized energy burden, concentrated disadvantage, and the feminization of energy poverty
Chien-fei Chen; Jimmy Feng; Nikki Luke; Cheng-Pin Kuo; Joshua S. Fu · 2022 · iScience · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104139
Finding or contribution: Neighbourhood analysis found concentrated energy burdens associated with overlapping disadvantage, including households headed by women of colour. The pattern worsened during the pandemic in the examined data.
Household relevance: Energy hardship should be assessed through intersecting housing and social circumstances.
Illustration only: A local programme could check whether its referrals reach heavily burdened single-parent households.
Limitations and applicability: Area-level patterns cannot establish every individual's circumstances, and the pandemic-period context limits direct transfer to other periods.
Use of Simple Telemetry to Reduce the Health Impacts of Fuel Poverty and Living in Cold Homes
Pollard A; Jones T; Sherratt S; Sharpe RA · 2019 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16162853
Finding or contribution: The pilot explored simple home-temperature telemetry alongside support for people with long-standing illness. It highlighted differences in warmth needs and the importance of combining monitoring, resident behaviour and building improvements.
Household relevance: Monitoring may help reveal unmet warmth needs but is not an intervention by itself.
Illustration only: A consent-based service could use room-temperature readings to guide a conversation about heating difficulty.
Limitations and applicability: The small descriptive pilot cannot establish cost-effectiveness or prove reductions in illness; larger evaluations are needed.
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy
Hesselman M; Varo A; Guyet R; Thomson H · 2021 · Energy Research & Social Science · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2021.102246
Finding or contribution: The paper mapped pandemic-era household-energy protections internationally and considered them through a right-to-energy framework. Responses varied, demonstrating the need for both immediate safeguards and longer-term access policies.
Household relevance: Emergency bill protection and durable housing improvement address different needs.
Illustration only: A household may need disconnection protection now and a more efficient home later.
Limitations and applicability: The policy map was not a definitive global inventory or an evaluation of each measure's effectiveness, and policies can change.
The Association of Energy Poverty with Health and Wellbeing in Children in a Mediterranean City
Oliveras L; Borrell C; González-Pijuan I; Gotsens M; López MJ; Palència L; Artazcoz L; Marí-Dell'Olmo M · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115961
Finding or contribution: Barcelona survey data associated children's household energy poverty with poorer reported health and wellbeing, including mental-health and respiratory indicators. Exposure was unevenly distributed across families.
Household relevance: Children's housing conditions belong in energy-support decisions.
Illustration only: A family support assessment could ask whether costs prevent adequate heating or cooling.
Limitations and applicability: The cross-sectional design and reported health measures cannot prove causation; uncertainty is substantial for some outcome estimates.
Occupant behaviour as a fourth driver of fuel poverty (aka warmth & energy deprivation)
Kearns A; Whitley E; Curl A · 2019 · Energy Policy · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.03.023
Finding or contribution: The longitudinal study found that movements into and out of fuel poverty involved employment, health, social contact and household circumstances. Home improvements alone did not explain relief from the experienced hardship measure.
Household relevance: A retrofit may need complementary income and social support.
Illustration only: A household with improved insulation can still struggle after job loss.
Limitations and applicability: The findings depend on a subjective measure and particular population; they do not show that home improvements lack value generally.
US federal resource allocations are inconsistent with concentrations of energy poverty
Carlos Batlle; Peter Heller; Christopher Knittel; Tim Schittekatte · 2024 · Science Advances · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp8183
Finding or contribution: The authors compared US energy-assistance allocations with an allocation model prioritising highly burdened households. The model shifted support toward warmer southern states relative to existing allocation patterns.
Household relevance: Cooling needs can be missed when support systems emphasise historical heating demand.
Illustration only: A hot-climate renter may face substantial essential cooling costs despite mild winters.
Limitations and applicability: Optimised allocations reflect chosen objectives and modelled burdens; they are not proof of a uniquely correct funding formula.
Energy poverty: an overlooked determinant of health and climate resilience in Canada
Mylène Riva; Sophie Kingunza Makasi; Kimberley C. O’Sullivan; Runa R. Das; Philippe Dufresne; David Kaiser; Sébastien Breau · 2023 · Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.17269/s41997-023-00741-0
Finding or contribution: Canadian survey analysis associated energy poverty with poorer general and mental health and dissatisfaction with home efficiency and seasonal comfort. It highlighted implications for equitable climate resilience.
Household relevance: Canadian energy policy should account for renters and other households unable to fund upgrades.
Illustration only: A support programme could ask about summer cooling affordability as well as winter heating bills.
Limitations and applicability: Survey associations do not establish individual causation or the measured effect of a particular retrofit programme.
Linking Housing Conditions and Energy Poverty: From a Perspective of Household Energy Self-Restriction
Chen K; Feng C · 2022 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148254
Finding or contribution: The Chinese household study linked housing conditions with different energy-poverty categories and self-restricted consumption. Poorer housing and limited equipment were associated with unmet energy needs.
Household relevance: Low consumption can reflect deprivation rather than efficiency.
Illustration only: A renter using very little heating may still live in an inefficient and uncomfortable home.
Limitations and applicability: Cross-sectional survey data and indicator definitions limit causal conclusions and transfer to other countries' housing systems.
Energy poverty and its relationship with health: empirical evidence on the dynamics of energy poverty and poor health in Australia
Heather Brown; Esperanza Vera-Toscano · 2021 · Sn Business & Economics · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s43546-021-00149-3
Finding or contribution: Australian longitudinal modelling found mixed evidence of two-way relationships between energy poverty and poor health. Results depended on how hardship was measured, with subjective measures showing clearer cross-dependency.
Household relevance: Health and energy hardship may reinforce each other, but measurement matters.
Illustration only: A resident's difficulty paying bills may interact with illness-related heating needs.
Limitations and applicability: Dynamic-model results depend on initial conditions and variable definitions; they do not establish a universal poverty-health cycle.
Energy poverty influences urban outdoor air pollution levels during COVID-19 lockdown in south-central Chile
Aner Martinez-Soto; Constanza C. Avendaño Vera; Alex Boso; Alvaro Hofflinger; Matthew Shupler · 2021 · Energy Policy · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112571
Finding or contribution: During lockdown in south-central Chile, outdoor particle pollution increased in some more affluent areas where wood heating rose, while poorer households appeared to restrict heating. Meteorological differences did not explain the full pattern.
Household relevance: Cleaner outdoor air can sometimes coincide with unmet household warmth needs.
Illustration only: Evaluate clean-heating affordability alongside neighbourhood pollution measurements.
Limitations and applicability: The exceptional lockdown context and observational attribution limit generalisation; lower pollution does not establish adequate indoor comfort.
Analysing natural ventilation to reduce the cooling energy consumption and the fuel poverty of social dwellings in coastal zones
David Bienvenido-Huertas; Daniel Sánchez-García; Carlos Rubio-Bellido · 2020 · Applied Energy · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115845
Finding or contribution: The study analysed natural ventilation as a way to reduce cooling demand and fuel-poverty risk in coastal social housing. It examined how climate and household circumstances influenced the potential benefit.
Household relevance: Ventilation opportunities depend on outdoor conditions and residents' ability to use openings.
Illustration only: A coastal dwelling may benefit from suitable nighttime airflow when outdoor air is cooler.
Limitations and applicability: Modelled strategies assume particular weather and operation; security, noise and air pollution can constrain real-world use.
Qualitative evaluation of an intervention to reduce energy poverty
Jacques-Aviñó C; Dvorzak JL; Marí-Dell'Olmo M; Arjona DR; Peralta A; Carrere J; Benach J; Ramos C; Plana M; López MJ · 2019 · Revista de Saúde Pública · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.11606/s1518-8787.2019053001212
Finding or contribution: Participants in an energy-poverty intervention described greater knowledge of energy rights, reduced bills and improved psychosocial wellbeing. The evaluation also identified limits where deteriorated dwellings required physical repairs.
Household relevance: Advice and empowerment can help, but cannot substitute for all building work.
Illustration only: A resident may understand a tariff better while still needing a landlord to repair the home.
Limitations and applicability: Qualitative sampling limits representation and does not establish a population-wide saving or causal health effect.
Encountering energy precarity: Geographies of fuel poverty among young adults in the UK
Petrova S · 2018 · Transactions · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/tran.12196
Finding or contribution: The Birmingham qualitative study described energy precarity among young private renters as extending beyond bills and the home itself. Housing arrangements, routines and institutional conditions shaped deprivation.
Household relevance: Energy hardship can affect where and how residents spend their day.
Illustration only: A student renter might leave a cold home to study elsewhere.
Limitations and applicability: A place-specific qualitative case provides insight rather than a prevalence estimate or a controlled test of retrofit effectiveness.
Predictors of fuel poverty and the equity of local fuel poverty support: secondary analysis of data from Bradford, England
Little E; Barnes A; Power M · 2024 · Perspectives in Public Health · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1177/17579139241245346
Finding or contribution: Bradford data showed that local fuel-poverty predictors partly matched national patterns but also differed. Evaluation of a local support service identified groups needing more equitable referral.
Household relevance: Eligibility and outreach should be checked against local households.
Illustration only: Review whether younger or multi-person households are being missed by a warmth-support programme.
Limitations and applicability: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis cannot establish why referral gaps arose or whether national patterns apply unchanged elsewhere.
Household energy poverty and trajectories of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and adolescents: findings from two prospective cohort studies
O Driscoll DJ; Kiely E; O'Keeffe LM; Khashan AS · 2024 · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s00127-024-02616-2
Finding or contribution: Two prospective cohorts linked early household energy poverty with some later emotional and behavioural difficulties. Associations could diminish over childhood, and the authors called for replication and stronger causal evidence.
Household relevance: Potential child-wellbeing effects need careful longitudinal study.
Illustration only: A housing-support evaluation could follow families over time rather than rely on one survey.
Limitations and applicability: The observed associations may be transient and confounded; the paper does not establish that energy poverty caused every reported difficulty.

Future climate & resilience

Climate Change, Weather, Housing Precarity, and Homelessness: A Systematic Review of Reviews
Bezgrebelna M; McKenzie K; Wells S; Ravindran A; Kral M; Christensen J; Stergiopoulos V; Gaetz S; Kidd SA · 2021 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115812
Finding or contribution: This review of reviews found that extreme weather threatens people without secure shelter and may contribute to homelessness through displacement, poverty and intersecting pressures. It identified important synthesis and planning gaps.
Household relevance: Climate resilience includes access to stable housing and shelter.
Illustration only: Heat planning should include people in precarious accommodation as well as homeowners.
Limitations and applicability: Evidence and definitions varied across reviews, and reliable quantitative estimates of several pathways remain limited.
Air-quality-related health impacts from climate change and from adaptation of cooling demand for buildings in the eastern United States: An interdisciplinary modeling study
David W. Abel; Tracey Holloway; Monica Harkey; Paul Meier; Doug Ahl; Vijay S. Limaye; Jonathan A. Patz · 2018 · PLoS Medicine · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002599
Finding or contribution: The interdisciplinary model linked future warming, building cooling demand, electricity generation and air-pollution health impacts. Increased cooling-related power emissions contributed to modelled future health burdens unless countered by cleaner supply and efficiency.
Household relevance: Protecting indoor comfort and decarbonising electricity are connected tasks.
Illustration only: Compare a cooling upgrade's efficiency alongside the electricity source.
Limitations and applicability: The analysis used limited climate simulation periods and exploratory extrapolation; estimated mortality is not an observed future outcome.
Energy efficiency to reduce residential electricity and natural gas use under climate change
Janet L. Reyna; Mikhail V. Chester · 2017 · Nature Communications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14916
Finding or contribution: The US residential modelling study projected rising electricity demand under warming and changing household conditions. More efficient equipment and appliances moderated the increase in the examined policy scenarios.
Household relevance: Efficiency can reduce the scale of future cooling-related demand growth.
Illustration only: When replacing cooling equipment, consider performance over expected future use as well as current bills.
Limitations and applicability: Long-term demand estimates depend on population, technology and policy assumptions and are not a forecast for one household.
Impacts of climate change, population growth, and power sector decarbonization on urban building energy use
Wang C; Song J; Shi D; Reyna JL; Horsey H; Feron S; Zhou Y; Ouyang Z; Li Y; Jackson RB · 2023 · Nature Communications · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41458-5
Finding or contribution: Across US cities, the model found that climate, population growth and power-sector decarbonisation affected building source-energy use differently. Strong differences between cities made national averages insufficient for local planning.
Household relevance: Site energy, source energy and carbon emissions are distinct outcomes.
Illustration only: A city's electricity use can rise while cleaner generation changes its wider energy and emissions impact.
Limitations and applicability: Scenario results depend on city growth and electricity assumptions; average source-energy changes do not imply falling summer cooling demand everywhere.
Combating Climate Change-induced Heat Stress: Assessing Cool Roofs and Its Impact on the Indoor Ambient Temperature of the Households in the Urban Slums of Ahmedabad
Vellingiri S; Dutta P; Singh S; Sathish LM; Pingle S; Brahmbhatt B · 2020 · Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_120_19
Finding or contribution: The Ahmedabad study compared cool-roof approaches in selected informal-settlement homes and discussed their relevance where insecure tenure discourages permanent investment. It connected thermal adaptation with practical housing constraints.
Household relevance: An affordable measure also needs to fit residents' tenure and mobility.
Illustration only: A reversible roof improvement may be more feasible where long-term occupancy is uncertain.
Limitations and applicability: The small cross-sectional household comparison covered a short period; it cannot isolate every building difference or establish year-round savings.
Impact of Climate Change on Indoor Air Quality: A Review
Mansouri A; Wei W; Alessandrini JM; Mandin C; Blondeau P · 2022 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · Review
Free full text · DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315616
Finding or contribution: The review described multiple pathways linking climate change and indoor air quality, including humidity, outdoor pollutants, window use and cooling. Combined effects could oppose one another and remained difficult to quantify.
Household relevance: Future-proofing a home requires air-quality assessment alongside thermal performance.
Illustration only: A tighter, cooled dwelling may need a different ventilation strategy during smoke or humidity events.
Limitations and applicability: The review does not provide a single net prediction; coupled heat, airflow and pollutant modelling still carries substantial uncertainty.
Relational geographies of urban unsustainability: The entanglement of California’s housing crisis with WUI growth and climate change
Greenberg M; Angelo H; Losada E; Wilmers CC · 2024 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310080121
Finding or contribution: The exploratory California analysis connected housing affordability pressures with expansion into the wildland-urban interface and climate-related hazards. It argued that urban housing access should be considered within resilience planning.
Household relevance: Housing location and affordability can shape exposure to wildfire and other hazards.
Illustration only: A less expensive outlying home may carry risks not captured by purchase price alone.
Limitations and applicability: The article develops relationships and hypotheses rather than establishing that one housing policy will cause a specified reduction in disaster losses.
Air-conditioning adoption and electricity demand highlight climate change mitigation–adaptation tradeoffs
Colelli FP; Wing IS; Cian E · 2023 · Scientific Reports · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31469-z
Finding or contribution: The study modelled how warming and air-conditioning adoption jointly affect electricity demand and heat exposure. Trade-offs varied geographically and by income, supporting combinations of efficient technology and behavioural adaptation.
Household relevance: More cooling access can protect residents while increasing electricity needs.
Illustration only: Pair efficient cooling with shade and envelope improvements where appropriate.
Limitations and applicability: Projected adoption and demand depend on economic and behavioural assumptions; results are not a household-specific bill forecast.
Comparing temperature-related mortality impacts of cool roofs in winter and summer in a highly urbanized European region for present and future climate
Helen L. Macintyre; Clare Heaviside; Xiaoming Cai; Revati Phalkey · 2021 · Environment International · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106606
Finding or contribution: West Midlands modelling found that cool roofs produced stronger temperature effects in summer than winter. Estimated winter cold-mortality effects were negligible in the tested setting, leaving net annual temperature-related health benefits.
Household relevance: Evaluate cool-roof benefits and winter consequences across the year.
Illustration only: A citywide roof programme can assess both seasons before choosing targets.
Limitations and applicability: The result is model- and climate-specific, with anthropogenic heat not explicitly represented; it does not establish identical effects for every roof or city.
A multi-paradigm framework to assess the impacts of climate change on end-use energy demand
Nateghi R; Mukherjee S · 2017 · PLoS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188033
Finding or contribution: The Indiana modelling framework showed that warming could reduce residential annual demand where heating dominated, while commercial demand could rise as cooling increases outpaced heating reductions.
Household relevance: Lower annual demand can coexist with greater summer cooling needs.
Illustration only: A home may need less winter heating but still require stronger summer heat protection.
Limitations and applicability: Results depend on sector, climate and modelling assumptions; an annual balance does not describe peak demand or comfort in every dwelling.
Predictions of household water affordability under conditions of climate change, demographic growth, and fresh groundwater depletion in a southwest US city indicate increasing burdens on the poor
Josiah M. Heyman; Alex Mayer; Jessica Alger · 2022 · PLOS ONE · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277268
Finding or contribution: The El Paso scenario analysis projected increasing water-affordability pressure under population growth and resource constraints, with disproportionate burdens in poorer areas. It connected future resource conditions to household costs.
Household relevance: Climate resilience includes affordability of essential water services.
Illustration only: A landscape or cooling plan should consider future water costs as well as energy use.
Limitations and applicability: The projections rely on external studies and uncertain future conditions; they do not establish future bills for an individual household.
Climate change, riverine flood risk and adaptation for the conterminous United States
Wobus C; Porter J; Lorie M; Martinich J; Bash R · 2021 · Environmental research letters : ERL [Web site] · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac1bd7
Finding or contribution: US flood-risk modelling projected increasing residential riverine damage without adaptation. Property-level adaptations could provide benefits, while understanding present-day risk remained important to investment decisions.
Household relevance: Future resilience decisions should begin with a sound assessment of current exposure.
Illustration only: A homeowner considering flood protection can compare current hazard, future scenarios and property-specific measures.
Limitations and applicability: Benefit-cost outcomes depend on hazard, damage and discounting assumptions; riverine flood results do not cover every type of flooding.
Scenario analysis of supply‐ and demand‐side solutions for circular economy and climate change mitigation in the global building sector
Pauliuk S; Carrer F; Heeren N; Hertwich EG · 2024 · Journal of Industrial Ecology · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13557
Finding or contribution: The global building-sector scenarios found that very low emissions required combinations of supply-side decarbonisation and demand-side material or space-efficiency measures. Circular-economy strategies differed in their potential contributions.
Household relevance: Materials, floor area and operational energy all affect long-term building impacts.
Illustration only: A renovation can consider retaining useful structure alongside improving energy performance.
Limitations and applicability: Global stock-flow scenarios simplify local construction, behaviour and future technology; they are not a carbon calculation for a particular home.
Climate change and 2030 cooling demand in Ahmedabad, India: opportunities for expansion of renewable energy and cool roofs
Joshi J; Magal A; Limaye VS; Madan P; Jaiswal A; Mavalankar D; Knowlton K · 2022 · Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.1007/s11027-022-10019-4
Finding or contribution: Ahmedabad modelling found that expanded cool roofs could offset the climate-driven component of projected near-term cooling-demand growth in the examined scenario. Cleaner electricity offered a complementary response.
Household relevance: Passive cooling and low-carbon supply can address different parts of future demand.
Illustration only: A housing programme could compare reflective roofs with efficient cooling and renewable electricity options.
Limitations and applicability: The result depends on assumed roof coverage, climate and energy modelling; it does not imply offsetting all population- or income-driven demand growth.
Indoor Temperatures in the 2018 Heat Wave in Quebec, Canada: Exploratory Study Using Ecobee Smart Thermostats
Arlene Oetomo; Niloofar Jalali; Paula Dornhofer Paro Costa; Plinio Pelegrini Morita · 2022 · JMIR Formative Research · Research article
Free full text · DOI: 10.2196/34104
Finding or contribution: Smart-thermostat data from Quebec's 2018 heatwave showed indoor warming and heat retention, including substantial exposure in non-air-conditioned homes. The study demonstrated potential for continuous indoor data to strengthen heat-response planning.
Household relevance: Outdoor forecasts alone may miss heat persisting inside homes.
Illustration only: A housing service could use consent-based indoor readings to identify apartments that remain hot overnight.
Limitations and applicability: Smart-thermostat users are a selective sample, and device placement and equipment information constrain generalisation.

All 200 papers.

Cities & neighborhoods

Disproportionate exposure to urban heat island intensity across major US cities

Including the urban heat island in spatial heat health risk assessment strategies: a case study for Birmingham, UK

Attribution of mortality to the urban heat island during heatwaves in the West Midlands, UK

On the influence of density and morphology on the Urban Heat Island intensity

On the linkage between urban heat island and urban pollution island: Three-decade literature review towards a conceptual framework

Synergies between Urban Heat Island and Heat Waves in Athens (Greece), during an extremely hot summer (2012)

The role of city size and urban form in the surface urban heat island

Urban heat island: Aerodynamics or imperviousness?

Crowdsourced air temperatures contrast satellite measures of the urban heat island and its mechanisms

The footprint of urban heat island effect in China

Influencing Mechanisms of Urban Heat Island on Respiratory Diseases

Improving the wind environment in high-density cities by understanding urban morphology and surface roughness: A study in Hong Kong

Methods to Estimate Acclimatization to Urban Heat Island Effects on Heat- and Cold-Related Mortality

Flip flop of Day-night and Summer-Winter Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity in India

Soil surface temperatures reveal moderation of the urban heat island effect by trees and shrubs

Spatially-optimized urban greening for reduction of population exposure to land surface temperature extremes

Modelling the variation of land surface temperature as determinant of risk of heat-related health events

Dominant control of agriculture and irrigation on urban heat island in India

Validating Satellite-Derived Land Surface Temperature with in Situ Measurements: A Public Health Perspective

The winter urban heat island: Impacts on cold-related mortality in a highly urbanized European region for present and future climate

Analysis of the relationship among land surface temperature (LST), land use land cover (LULC), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with topographic elements in the lower Himalayan region

Analysis of urban heat island characteristics and mitigation strategies for eight arid and semi-arid gulf region cities

Heat and Humidity in the City: Neighborhood Heat Index Variability in a Mid-Sized City in the Southeastern United States

Correlation analysis of land surface temperature and topographic elements in Hangzhou, China

Development of a holistic urban heat island evaluation methodology

The Impact of the Land Cover Dynamics on Surface Urban Heat Island Variations in Semi-Arid Cities: A Case Study in Ahmedabad City, India, Using Multi-Sensor/Source Data

Quantifying urban heat island intensity in Hong Kong SAR, China

Intra-urban microclimate investigation in urban heat island through a novel mobile monitoring system

The Urban Heat Island in an Urban Context: A Case Study of Mashhad, Iran

Spatially Analyzing the Inequity of the Hong Kong Urban Heat Island by Socio-Demographic Characteristics

Examining the Relationship between Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) Using Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) Models: A Case Study of Seoul, South Korea

Evaluating the impacts of land use/land cover changes across topography against land surface temperature in Cameron Highlands

Balancing conflicting mitigation and adaptation behaviours of urban residents under climate change and the urban heat island effect

Impact of Biophysical Mechanisms on Urban Heat Island Associated with Climate Variation and Urban Morphology

Examining seasonal effect of urban heat island in a coastal city

Synergies between urban heat island and heat waves in Seoul: The role of wind speed and land use characteristics

Effect of land cover composition and building configuration on land surface temperature in an urban-sprawl city, case study in Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Thailand

Neighborhood Landscape Spatial Patterns and Land Surface Temperature: An Empirical Study on Single-Family Residential Areas in Austin, Texas

Relationship between urban morphology and land surface temperature—A case study of Nanjing City

Estimating Heat‐Related Exposures and Urban Heat Island Impacts: A Case Study for the 2012 Chicago Heatwave

How urbanisation alters the intensity of the urban heat island in a tropical African city

Cooling effect and control factors of common shrubs on the urban heat island effect in a southern city in China

Statistical Review of Quality Parameters of Blue-Green Infrastructure Elements Important in Mitigating the Effect of the Urban Heat Island in the Temperate Climate (C) Zone

The Diversified Impacts of Urban Morphology on Land Surface Temperature among Urban Functional Zones

Analyzing the scale dependent effect of urban building morphology on land surface temperature using random forest algorithm

Trees & outdoor cooling

Urban Tree Canopy and Asthma, Wheeze, Rhinitis, and Allergic Sensitization to Tree Pollen in a New York City Birth Cohort

Urban green space, tree canopy and prevention of cardiometabolic diseases: a multilevel longitudinal study of 46 786 Australians

Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review

Trees Grow on Money: Urban Tree Canopy Cover and Environmental Justice

The role of urban trees in reducing land surface temperatures in European cities

Climate change accelerates growth of urban trees in metropolises worldwide

Examining the distributional equity of urban tree canopy cover and ecosystem services across United States cities

Estimation of the Allergenic Potential of Urban Trees and Urban Parks: Towards the Healthy Design of Urban Green Spaces of the Future

A single tree model to consistently simulate cooling, shading, and pollution uptake of urban trees

Residential Exposure to Urban Trees and Medication Sales for Mood Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease in Brussels, Belgium: An Ecological Study

Effects of tree canopy on psychological distress: A repeated cross-sectional study before and during the COVID-19 epidemic

Tree Canopy Cover Is Best Associated with Perceptions of Greenspace: A Short Communication

Turgor loss point and vulnerability to xylem embolism predict species‐specific risk of drought‐induced decline of urban trees

Irrigated urban trees exhibit greater functional trait plasticity compared to natural stands

The potential of urban trees to reduce heat-related mortality in London

Decoupling forest characteristics and background conditions to explain urban-rural variations of multiple microclimate regulation from urban trees

Ecohydrology of urban trees under passive and active irrigation in a semiarid city

Changes in morphological and physiological traits of urban trees in response to elevated temperatures within an Urban Heat Island

A scaling law for predicting urban trees canopy cooling efficiency

Satisfaction with urban trees associates with tree canopy cover and tree visibility around the home

Variation the in relationship between urban tree canopy and air temperature reduction under a range of daily weather conditions

Optimizing urban park cooling effects requires balancing morphological design and landscape structure

Study on the influence of urban tree canopy on thermal environment in Luoping County

Evaluation and optimization of park cooling benefits based on cumulative impact and landscape pattern

Urban Tree Canopy and Environmental Justice: Examining the Distributional Equity of Urban Tree Canopy in Guangzhou, China

Walls, roofs & windows

Plant Species and Functional Group Combinations Affect Green Roof Ecosystem Functions

The modifying effect of the building envelope on population exposure to PM2.5 from outdoor sources

Research of Wood Waste as a Potential Filler for Loose-Fill Building Insulation: Appropriate Selection and Incorporation into Polyurethane Biocomposite Foams

Bioinspired Super Thermal Insulating, Strong and Low Carbon Cement Aerogel for Building Envelope

Synergistic Fire Hazard Effect of a Multifunctional Flame Retardant in Building Insulation Expandable Polystyrene through a Simple Surface-Coating Method

Multifunctionality is affected by interactions between green roof plant species, substrate depth, and substrate type