Effect of insulating existing houses on health inequality: Cluster randomised study in the community

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether insulating existing houses increases indoor temperatures and improves occupants' health and wellbeing. Design: Community based, cluster, single blinded randomised study. Setting: Seven low income communities in New Zealand. Participants: 1350 households containing 4407 participants. Intervention: installation of a standard retrofit insulation package. Main outcome measures: Indoor temperature and relative humidity, energy consumption, self reported health, wheezing, days off school and work, visits to general practitioners, and admissions to hospital. Results: Insulation was associated with a small increase in bedroom temperatures during the winter (0.5°C) and..