The total health gains and cost savings of eradicating cold housing in Australia

Commercial determinants of human rights: for‐profit health care and housing

“…24 Not only is housing unaffordable in many of our urban centres but it can also often be in poor condition and energy inefficient (especially rental housing) (Box 2). 25 What has been less well researched is how the scale of investment and wealth generation tied to housing in Australia positions it as a critical CDoH. The Australian housing market is a multitrilliondollar asset.…”

“…In Australia, exposure to cold housing (< 18°C in living areas in winter for prolonged period) alone contributes around 89 600 lifetime health-adjusted life years to our population health burden, $0.87 billion in health care costs and $4.35 billion in losses to household income (a productivity loss). 25 Most of this health burden (~60%) is generated by the impact of cold housing on mental health and wellbeing. Minimum standards in rental housing to improve thermal comfort and policies to reduce the cost of housing (and thereby reduce exposure to housing affordability stress and energy poverty) could address this problem.…”

The impact of extreme heat and cold on energy poverty

“…High energy costs or lack of access, low household income, and housing energy inefficiency are the proximal causes of energy hardship [9][10][11][12][13] . While heating costs have previously been the primary generator of energy hardship, heatwaves in recent decades have led to energy hardship arising from the need to cool homes, and focussed attention on climate change as a distal cause of energy poverty 7,14,15 . Energy demand increases during periods of extreme heat as people transition from outdoor to indoor activities and use energy to run cooling devices.…”

“…Energy demand increases during periods of extreme heat as people transition from outdoor to indoor activities and use energy to run cooling devices. Difficulties in affording the essential energy services have significant consequences for people's health and social outcomes 7,14,15 , either through the direct impact of thermal discomfort (high or low indoor temperatures), financial stress, or substitution effects that puts pressure on basic cost-of-living budgets including housing payments, essential medication, and education.…”