Healthy Homes, Cooling Standards, and the Indoor Thermal Environment: A Critical Component of Public Health

In the Summer of 2020, ISeeChange conducted an analysis of urban heat islands in New Orleans, LA and found that some areas of the city run up to 18 degrees hotter than other parts of the city during the afternoon. In addition, by working with residents in historically redlined neighborhoods, the team documented indoor thermal environments that consistently exceeded outdoor temperatures. Data suggested that lack of renters’ protections and housing conditions were exacerbating heat vulnerability in historically disinvested neighborhoods. These data were used to inform and lower (from 82 F to 80 F) the first ever cooling standard for rental inspections, which was passed in 2022 as part of a suite of new renter protections called the Healthy Homes Ordinance. Now over the summers of 2023 and 2024, as part of an ongoing collaboration through the New Orleans Home, Environment, and Ambient Temperature: Measurements and Analysis for Preparedness (NOLA HEAT-MAP) Study, ISeeChange is actively monitoring indoor temperature and humidity in the homes of New Orleans residents. Data from this study will be used to characterize variability in indoor thermal environments and understand how these conditions relate to physical and mental health. Preliminary results indicate that daily maximum temperatures among participants’ residences frequently exceed the indoor cooling standard with approximately 25% of participant person-days (n = 323) that had a daily mean indoor temp above 80°F, while 75% of person-days (n = 983) had a daily mean indoor temp at or below 80°F. Most study participants had access to air conditioning thought type and use was variable. This presentation will describe how community-sourced data and research has been and will continue to be used to inform development of and continuously improve local policy.