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Location of blower door test (dashed square) and HOBOs (gray and white dot) in apartments for air exchange, temperature, and relative humidity sampling. (*The larger study also included air sampling for aldehydes and particulate matter represented by dashed squares indicating those sampling devices respective locations)  

Location of blower door test (dashed square) and HOBOs (gray and white dot) in apartments for air exchange, temperature, and relative humidity sampling. (*The larger study also included air sampling for aldehydes and particulate matter represented by dashed squares indicating those sampling devices respective locations)  

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Mitigation of thermal stress and adverse indoor climatic conditions is important to older low-income populations whose age, health, and economic circumstances make them vulnerable to indoor environmental conditions. This research examines whether energy retrofits in affordable housing for older adults can also improve indoor climatic (i.e. temperat...

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... HOBO data loggers were placed on interior par- tition walls, limiting any influence of thermal conduc- tance through walls that served as thermal barriers between indoor and outdoor environments (Figure 3). Only three apartments in our sample had more than one wall serving as thermal envelope barrier (these were either on west or east wing; see Figure 4 for build- ing layout). ...

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Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low Income Group (LIG) household in India are those section groups with annual earnings up to two lakhs. (GOI, 2013). Generally in India, EWS and LIG homes are built which are smaller in size with a carpet area of 21 to 27 Square meters and 28 to 60 Square meters respectively with average occupancy of 2 -5 occ...

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... One quasi-experimental study of 57 older people (age 62-92, average 73) before and after retrofits of a low-income senior housing complex in Phoenix, Arizona found that reductions in the number of days of indoor temperature above 27.2°C and reductions in mean and minimum indoor temperatures after the retrofits corresponded with improved reported occupant health and increased hours of sleep (Ahrentzen et al., 2016). ...
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... Ahrentzen et al. [20], Kenny et al. [21], and Beckmann et al. [22] analyzed the impact of indoor thermal environments on human health, suggesting that temperatures exceeding the critical threshold of 27 • C could be particularly harmful to vulnerable groups. Kenny [23] further highlighted that heat-sensitive populations should avoid continuous exposure to temperatures above 31 • C. ...
... Table 9 provides a summary of key studies, standards, and recommendations related to indoor temperatures affecting heat-vulnerable populations. Several studies, including those by Ahrentzen et al. [20], Beckmann et al. [22], and Kenny [23], have reported that indoor temperatures exceeding 27 • C can adversely affect the health and quality of life of elderly individuals and those with chronic conditions. Additionally, the Health in Aging Foundation [34] advises that elderly people take preventive actions when indoor temperatures surpass 27 • C to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses. ...
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... Adequate thermal comfort reduces the risk of cold-related illnesses and respiratory conditions, particularly among vulnerable populations (Ormandy and Ezratty, 2016). Additionally, by reducing exposure to indoor pollutants and allergens, retrofit policies contribute to better overall health outcomes and quality of life for occupants (Ahrentzen et al., 2016). During the Warm Front scheme, for instance, residents reported greater thermal comfort after retrofitting (Gilbertson and Green, 2008 n.d.). ...
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... Thirdly, improved thermal stabilization can lead to better health outcomes for occupants, including improved sleep, emotional health and overall quality of life. Finally, improved thermal stabilization through energy retrofits is associated with increased thermal comfort for occupants (Ahrentzen et al., 2016). ...
... With β 5 0.693; t 5 3.854, and p 5 0.002, the results suggest that thermal upgrade has the largest influence on the perception of quality of life of occupants in Prishtina, Kosovo. In this regard, as Ahrentzen et al. (2016) argue that the perception of occupants about the quality of life is improved through thermal comfort. To this end, structural building upgrades such as envelope retrofitting affect both the building performance and the users' satisfaction, health and wellbeing (Belussi et al., 2019;Chen et al., 2020) and overall indoor environmental quality as a function of thermal comfort (Danza et al., 2020;Kuusk et al., 2014;Kuusk and Kalamees, 2015;Prasauskas et al., 2014). ...
... The implication of this could be that Kosovo building occupants perceive the quality of life through thermal comfort as one of the key measures of the quality of life. Without thermal stabilization as argued by Ahrentzen et al. (2016), other criteria for quality of life cannot be met in Kosovo. Given the high energy costs in Kosovo and interrupted supply of electricity in Kosovo, the reduction of energy bills achieved through thermal retrofitting saves the pockets of building occupants, thereby affecting their economic well-being and quality of life. ...
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... Health burden risks associated with air pollution exposure are disproportionately higher for populations residing in low-income neighborhoods (net income being more than 60% lower than that of the national median) [3,[13][14][15][16][17]. Reasons for these disparities include the proximity of these neighborhoods to increased traffic activity and industrial areas, outdated residential building designs that often lead to higher air change rates with unfiltered outdoor air, and a higher prevalence of tobacco smoking indoors [16,[18][19][20][21]. Nowadays, such neighborhoods are referred to as Environmental Justice impacted communities (EJ communities) to highlight the collective impact of historical or ongoing social, economic, and environmental injustices resulting in disproportionately higher pollution exposure levels for the residents in these communities as compared to the other sections of society [22]. Some of the governments around the world have tried to tackle these issues by retrofitting residential buildings in similar neighborhoods with energy efficiency improvements (such as increasing air tightness and installing energy efficient appliances) to address the issue of fuel poverty and improve comfort of the occupants [23][24][25]. However, such improvements can still have negative effects on indoor air quality, as emissions from daily indoor activities (e.g., cooking, cleaning, smoking, and personal care product use) might result in elevated PM and VOC concentrations indoors over longer durations due to reduced ventilation rates [19,21,26]. ...
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... Thus, policy makers need to focus on retrofitting of older housing stock [80]. In the U.S., a trial involving 53 homes found that retrofitting improved energy efficiency, particularly in winter [80]. In New Zealand, a successful community trial of retrofitting 1350 homes led to policy change to sponsor retrofit of insulation and efficient heating into existing homes [81]. ...
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... As a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that the renovation of the building façade did not significantly affect the residents' IEQ evaluation. Ahrentzen, S., et al. (2016) attempted to confirm through pre-and post-occupancy * Corresponding author: jongwonlee@kict.re.kr evaluation whether energy renovation in elderly housing can improve IEQ, thereby improving the health and comfort of occupants [4]. As a result of the evaluation, it was confirmed that the energy uses of the building decreased after renovation, and the health and satisfaction of the elderly who are residents improved. ...
... As a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that the renovation of the building façade did not significantly affect the residents' IEQ evaluation. Ahrentzen, S., et al. (2016) attempted to confirm through pre-and post-occupancy * Corresponding author: jongwonlee@kict.re.kr evaluation whether energy renovation in elderly housing can improve IEQ, thereby improving the health and comfort of occupants [4]. As a result of the evaluation, it was confirmed that the energy uses of the building decreased after renovation, and the health and satisfaction of the elderly who are residents improved. ...
... According to the results of the survey conducted during the post-renovation period, the differences in measurements of thermal comfort satisfaction, air quality satisfaction, and overall satisfaction were statistically significant, excluding lighting environment. All of the significant IEQ items were found to have a higher 5F with HVAC device than the other 1-4F, which is in line with previous studies that improved the evaluation of IEQ by occupants through renovation [1,2,4]. In addition, the results of previous studies that improved the occupant satisfaction or comfort due to the renovation and operation of HVAC devices [1,18], were also confirmed in this study conducted on public research building. ...
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This study aims to evaluate and analyse how a renovation impacts occupant satisfaction through a pre-and post-occupancy evaluation with physical measurements and occupant satisfaction survey. The study was performed for the HVAC renovation of a research institute in Korea. Online occupant survey was conducted in 2021 winter before renovation and in 2022 summer after renovation. Both surveys were performed by using Korean Building Occupant Survey System (K-BOSS) which is integrated building open data including spatial information. The physical measurements through sensors were conducted simultaneously with surveys. In terms of sensor measurement, representative IEQ factors such as temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration, and illuminance were measured. The surveys included three main indoor environmental quality categories such as thermal comfort, air quality, lighting environment. The measured results were analysed via T-test. As a result, the study found a statistically significant improvement with HVAC renovation about relative humidity in physical measurements and thermal comfort, air quality, overall occupant satisfaction in the survey. The results are displayed in the 3D (three dimensional) indoor map to help intuitively view gap between pre- and post-occupancy evaluation. Overall, the pre- and post-occupation evaluation survey analyses supported the beneficial effects of IEQ in the renovated building. In conclusion, the study provides a thorough examination of the effect on occupant satisfaction with IEQ of the data-driven changes collected from pre- and post-occupancy evaluation surveys.
... • Improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by preventing the intrusion outdoor air pollutants and pests through air sealing measures and improved ventilation [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. • Reduce thermal stress by keeping homes from being too cold or too hot through a combination of new insulation, air sealing, and improvements to heating and cooling systems [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55]. • Reduce uncontrolled asthma and headaches through the installation of all of the energy efficiency measures just mentioned [38][39][40][41][42][56][57][58][59][60]. ...