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The elderly population is more vulnerable to poor indoor environmental quality. They also spend a larger portion of their time indoors than the general public, further exacerbating the associated health risks. As part of a larger study which aims to understand the health risks for the elderly population resulting from extreme heat events in Houston, TX, this study gathered empirical data on thermal comfort and air quality in existing assisted living facilities and in individual homes of the elderly. We made continuous measurements of indoor dry-bulb temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and occupancy status in 25 buildings during summer months in 2016 and 2017. Then, using the measured data, we calculated the percentage of hours in which the thermal discomfort index or CO2 levels were above healthy thresholds for each site. Our results show that the indoor discomfort index and/or CO2 level exceeded the safe thresholds for at least 5% of the time in two-thirds of the buildings tested. Considering that research suggests more extreme summer weather in this region in the future, the results of this study highlight the need to consider changes in building management and occupant behavior as well as targeted improvements in the building stock to minimise adverse health impacts. In addition, the results also highlight a potential trade-off between thermal comfort and air quality in these building; air-tightening of the buildings will result in better thermal comfort at the expense of higher CO2 levels, especially in buildings with a higher number of occupants.

Indoor air quality and thermal comfort for elderly residents in Houston TX—a case study