Wintertime indoor temperatures in social housing dwellings in England and the impact of dwelling characteristics

Abstract

This paper presents one of the largest wintertime indoor temperature surveys of English social housing dwellings. Half hourly temperatures were measured in living rooms and main bedrooms of 124 social housing dwellings located in central England. Indoor temperatures were analysed for two distinct periods of “heating season” and “winter” during the assumed occupied hours of 08:00–20:00 for living rooms and 20:00–08:00 for bedrooms. The mean living room and bedroom temperatures when occupied were 19.0 °C and 18.7 °C respectively during the heating season and 18.6 °C and 18.2 °C during the winter. The mean living room temperature during the winter was 2.4 °C lower than the minimum living room temperature of 21 °C recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The living rooms and bedrooms spent 39% and 46% of their occupied hours respectively below 18 °C which is recommended by the Public Health England as a reasonable minimum indoor temperature for homes in winter. Older properties built before 1982 were found at significantly higher risk of low temperatures. The study discusses the need for a method to assess the risk of underheating in homes particularly in social housing dwellings which accommodate vulnerable groups of people who are often less able to tolerate or to adapt to low temperatures.