A new study shared by Medical Xpress showed that upgrading insulation can improve living conditions enough to lower health care costs and even offset investments in retrofits.
Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo ran simulations of 100,000 virtual husband-and-wife pairs to compare living arrangements of poor home insulation versus good insulation, and the health care outcomes of various home temperatures.
Lower temperatures indoors can increase blood pressure, hypertension, and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Along with these conditions come considerable health costs. It may be worth the cost of adding insulation in a home if it is less than the increased health care costs incurred by cardiovascular disease.
"Housing is becoming crucial for improving public health," said the study.
The study concluded that insulation upgrades and warmer homes can be cost-effective in the long haul, though lower-cost partial insulation retrofitting is an important option to have.
Health care costs notwithstanding, good home insulation can provide 15% in monthly energy use savings. If you include federal rebates for home energy retrofits, those savings margins increase even more.
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Besides the health and economic benefits of an energy-efficient home, it's also great for the environment. Home energy use is a major contributor to atmospheric pollution. By lowering heating energy use through more efficient insulation, residents are also tamping down destructive weather patterns that come with increased pollution.
Destructive events like floods that come from this pollution are causing a big crisis in home insurance, too.
Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo are well aware of the environmental benefits.
"These findings will help policymakers make informed decisions about health and housing improvements, and encourage the use of well-insulated houses, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals 3, 10, 11, and 13, which focus on health, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities, and climate action," said lead researcher Wataru Umishio, per Medical Xpress.
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