The public health benefits offered by appropriate home insulation go beyond keeping us warm during the cold months, as many reports and studies have shown in the last years. For instance, NCBI discovered that in properly insulated houses, the inhabitants suffered from fewer asthma attacks, and similar measures helped the government save up to approximately $6 billion in medical expenses related to the sick home syndrome and other affections associated with poorly insulated homes.
While generally the benefits of energy efficient homes are expressed in terms and notions of economic savings, the advantages are also health-related. But let’s see how a highly functional insulation solution might offer homeowners some undeniable health advantages.
Cold houses and the way they can damage your health
As we progressively spend more time indoors, the indoor environment can truly impact our health in more ways than we initially thought. Many houses around the world have various features that can truly damage one’s health and besides, they are simply cold. Low indoor temperatures usually lead to dampness and thus, to a series of respiratory issues associated with low indoor temperatures but also associated with mould and dampness.
In our daily lives, we produce significant amounts of dampness. Everything from cooking to showering, to breathing, even, produces impressive amounts of dampness and we oftentimes fail to realize. All that moisture condenses on surfaces and, in time, leads to mould. As we all know it by now, mould is one immense health threat present in houses from all around the world.
Besides these health stressors, living in cold environments is a stress factor for our bodies per se, especially for those family members who are older or suffer from various illnesses. Very young family members will also be physiologically stressed in cold environments.
Cold houses, mould and illness
One-third of the houses around the world are infested with mould. Most species of mould are not harmful to healthy individuals, but they are extremely dangerous for those with pre-existing conditions like asthma, allergies and other respiratory issues. Old and very young inhabitants in mould-infested homes are also vulnerable in mould’s presence. However, there are some species of mould, black mould, for instance, that release into the air spores with incredibly harmful effects on human health, regardless of pre-existing health conditions. Skin irritations, allergies, toxic shock are only some of the negative health effects of black mould spores.
Reasons why your house might get cold
Generally, houses are extremely cold because it is incredibly difficult to properly heat those. There are two main reasons why this phenomenon occurs: poor insulation and inefficient heating.
Older houses are generally more difficult to heat due to a poor insulation system. In this case, these properties lack appropriate insulation in their walls, ceiling and floors, but also rudimental windows, oftentimes without double glazing. In many countries around the world, there are some minimum insulation standards in force, but unfortunately, those are rarely followed. Also, given the fact that older houses were built previously to those building and insulation codes were adopted, those rarely enjoy a proper and efficient insulations system, as numerous insulation contractors say.
Heating-wise, many countries around the world are still “enjoying” inefficient heating solutions. Besides, many of those are also health hazards per se, as they produce impressive amounts of air pollutants. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are some of the most damaging air pollutants released into the air by old, inefficient heating systems.
While many attribute health problems only to pollutants, the way in which we heat our homes also impacts the levels of health of those living in those properties.
In many cases, many people think that purchasing a newer home will help them eliminate those issues but this is not the case, more often than not. New houses can also be damper and colder than ideal. And most frequently, these issues can be found in several key elements.
- Windows, especially those without double glazing, mainly built previously to 2009 when around the world, double glazing has become a new standard in the industry.
- Poorly insulated concrete slabs.
- Poorly designed wall and ceiling cavities and buildings that present small gaps where the air can easily enter the home.
- Poor ventilation systems.
- Poor heating systems.
Boosting indoor temperature, the easy way
Yes, boosting indoor temperature is possible, but only if you improve two of the reasons why they get cold in the first place: insulation and heating.
Modern insulation solutions are preferred in those houses that present lower indoor temperatures than advised. It should be installed in all those key areas where heat is usually lost from ceilings, walls, wall cavities, floors, attic and basement spaces as well as crawl spaces. For newer homes, these should all be replaced, if they exist. The standards in the industry changed enormously over the past few years and better, more efficient solutions emerged on the market. In older houses that completely lack insulation, it can be easily added with the help of a professional company. Plus, the investment is not even that big as many homeowners expect.
Besides, all homeowners should consider investing in modern, less polluting heating solutions. Heat pumps, wood pellets and flued gas heaters are only some of the available options. For instance, heat pumps work on the same principle as refrigerators do, but in reverse. Wood pellets are a far better heating option as these don’t pollute the air and are an eco-friendly heating solution.
Better insulation, better health?
Yes, overall, multiple studies and research papers have shown that better insulation can improve the health of those living in particularly cold or polluted houses. But the same studies emphasize the fact that better heating solutions should accompany those highly functional insulation systems, for better results. Insulation should be applied in all key-areas presented above and less polluting heating solutions should be found. In the long run, these measures will decrease the incidence of allergies and asthma attacks. For a good health, the WHO recommends an indoor temperature of 18-21 degrees Celsius.
