Modelling the Correlation between Building Energy Ratings and Heat-related Mortality And Morbidity

Abstract Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves as well as the risk of heat stress within buildings. To provide habitable indoor conditions without air-conditioning during heatwave, residential building energy efficiency need to be upgraded. The aim of this research is to investigate the possible correlation of building energy rating upgrading with heat-related health hazard during heatwave, with case data drawing from Melbourne, Australia. Using building simulations, indoor heat stress conditions of different energy rated houses were calculated using wet bulb globe temperature and discomfort index under the Melbourne 2009 heatwave conditions. The results showed that during three days heatwave period, residents of 0.9 star energy rated house were exposed to extreme heat stress conditions for almost 25 h compared to only 6 h experienced by the occupants of 5.4 star energy rated house. Several robust empirical relationships were proposed to predict deaths, ambulance calls, emergency department presentations and after hour doctor calls during heatwave. It was concluded that mortality rate from a Melbourne 2009 type, as well as, future more intense heatwave may reduce by 90% if entire existing lower energy star rated houses can be upgraded to minimum 5.4 star energy rating.

[1]  Dong Chen,et al.  Estimation of air infiltration for Australian housing energy analysis , 2015 .

[2]  F. Bruno,et al.  A framework for adaptation of Australian households to heat waves , 2013 .

[3]  H. Cheong,et al.  Effects of Heat Wave on Body Temperature and Blood Pressure in the Poor and Elderly , 2012, Environmental health and toxicology.

[4]  Roger Stone,et al.  Impacts and adaptation response of infrastructure and communities to heatwaves: the southern Australian experience of 2009 , 2010 .

[5]  S. Tong,et al.  The impact of heatwaves on mortality in Australia: a multicity study , 2013, BMJ Open.

[6]  Ken Parsons,et al.  Heat stress standard ISO 7243 and its global application. , 2006, Industrial health.

[7]  N. Nicholls,et al.  A simple heat alert system for Melbourne, Australia , 2008, International journal of biometeorology.

[8]  P. A. Mirzaei,et al.  Recent challenges in modeling of urban heat island , 2015 .

[9]  Wendy Miller,et al.  What does built environment research have to do with risk mitigation, resilience and disaster recovery? , 2015 .

[10]  F. Haghighat,et al.  Indoor thermal condition in urban heat island: Comparison of the artificial neural network and regression methods prediction , 2014 .

[11]  Olivier Jolliet,et al.  Climate change and health: indoor heat exposure in vulnerable populations. , 2012, Environmental research.

[12]  C. Begley,et al.  Impact of the 2011 heat wave on mortality and emergency department visits in Houston, Texas , 2015, Environmental Health.

[13]  Parham A. Mirzaei,et al.  Urban neighborhood characteristics influence on a building indoor environment , 2015 .

[14]  Xiaoming Wang,et al.  Assessment of climate change impact on residential building heating and cooling energy requirement in Australia , 2010 .

[15]  Shilu Tong,et al.  Excess deaths during the 2004 heatwave in Brisbane, Australia , 2010, International journal of biometeorology.

[16]  Michelle L. Bell,et al.  Weather-Related Mortality: How Heat, Cold, and Heat Waves Affect Mortality in the United States , 2009, Epidemiology.

[17]  Seth H. Holmes,et al.  Overheating and passive habitability: indoor health and heat indices , 2016 .

[18]  Shilei Lu,et al.  A new environmental heat stress index for indoor hot and humid environments based on Cox regression , 2011 .

[19]  Daniel S. Moran,et al.  An environmental stress index (ESI) as a substitute for the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) , 2001 .

[20]  Graham Bates,et al.  A valid method for comparing rational and empirical heat stress indices. , 2002, The Annals of occupational hygiene.

[21]  Yoram Epstein,et al.  Thermal comfort and the heat stress indices. , 2006, Industrial health.

[22]  F. Nicol,et al.  On the thermal performance of low income housing during heat waves , 2012 .

[23]  M. Leone,et al.  Changes in the effects of heat on mortality among the elderly from 1998–2010: results from a multicenter time series study in Italy , 2012, Environmental Health.

[24]  F. Haghighat,et al.  Indoor thermal condition in urban heat Island – Development of a predictive tool , 2012 .

[25]  C. P. Yaglou,et al.  Control of heat casualties at military training centers. , 1957, A.M.A. archives of industrial health.

[26]  M. Blackburn,et al.  Factors contributing to the summer 2003 European heatwave , 2004 .

[27]  T. Kjellstrom,et al.  Calculating workplace WBGT from meteorological data: a tool for climate change assessment. , 2012, Industrial health.

[28]  Dong Chen,et al.  Urban vegetation for reducing heat related mortality. , 2014, Environmental pollution.

[29]  Dong Chen,et al.  Heat stress within energy efficient dwellings in Australia , 2014 .

[30]  H. S. Belding,et al.  Index for evaluating Heat Stress in Terms of resulting Physiological Strains. , 1955 .

[31]  V. Rodwin,et al.  In the Heat of the Summer , 2007, Journal of Urban Health.

[32]  Will Steffen,et al.  Heatwaves: hotter, longer, more often , 2014 .

[33]  Chris I. Goodier,et al.  Adapting dwellings for heat waves , 2011 .

[34]  J Unger,et al.  Comparisons of urban and rural bioclimatological conditions in the case of a Central-European city , 1999, International journal of biometeorology.

[35]  Mathilde Pascal,et al.  Mortality in 13 French cities during the August 2003 heat wave. , 2004, American journal of public health.

[36]  Michael V. Saha,et al.  Mortality displacement as a function of heat event strength in 7 US cities. , 2014, American journal of epidemiology.

[37]  J. Malchaire,et al.  Occupational heat stress assessment by the Predicted Heat Strain model. , 2006, Industrial health.

[38]  J. Robine,et al.  Death toll exceeded 70,000 in Europe during the summer of 2003. , 2008, Comptes rendus biologies.

[39]  Chris I. Goodier,et al.  Ranking of interventions to reduce dwelling overheating during heat waves. , 2012 .

[40]  Dong Chen,et al.  Pathways to climate adapted and healthy low income housing , 2013 .