HEAT
Research type
Research Database
IRAS ID
227455
Contact name
Jennifer Mindell
Contact email
Research summary
Health impacts of Energy efficiency and Ambient Temperature
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0369
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
No new data will be collected. We will link data from the Health Survey for England (including indoor temperature, age, health status), information on what home improvements have been done, and the outside temperature.
We will not need to contact the participants again, as we will use information we have already collected and will link these anonymously to national death records and hospital admission records and to the temperature and home improvement data (with permission). As soon as the data have been linked, any information that identifies individuals will be removed. The data will not be identifiable but will be stored securely anyway.
Our study will analyse different home energy and warm home policy interventions by looking at the temperature in people’s homes and their effects on health. We will examine sub-groups of people at different stages of their life or at higher risk of disease.Research programme
The death rate in winter in the UK is higher than average. The UK has more excess winter deaths and ill health than colder European countries. Cold kills 60-80,000 people each year in the UK. More than one million UK households spend at least 10% of their income heating their homes. This ‘fuel poverty’ particularly affects people who are poor, older, or already have poor health. These are also the people most at risk of dying because of cold weather. Governments have tried to improve these problems through various home energy policies that help make people’s homes easier to heat using measures such as loft and wall insulation, new heating systems, stopping draughts, and double-glazing. These also help reduce fuel use and its contribution to climate change. Other ‘warm home’ policies include giving vulnerable people money to spend on heating (fuel payments). Our study will examine and answer a number of questions about the effects these home energy and warm home policies have on health. Are these interventions associated with lower mortality or hospital admission rates? Which policies have been more effective? Which provide better value for money and for whom? Have policies reduced differences in health between poorer and richer families? Which combination of actions to keep homes warm has most effect on health and at what costs? Results of our study will help national and local governments decide which policies and measures work best to reduce exposure to cold homes and the consequent impacts on health. It will also help them decide which actions give the best value for money. This is particularly important when cuts in funding mean hard choices are needed.
Research database title
Health impacts of Energy efficiency and Ambient Temperature
Establishment organisation
UCL
Establishment organisation address
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT