A new guide is available to help you achieve a home environment that is right for you – not too hot, not too cold; comfortable and pleasant. Thermal comfort feels different for each of us. Understanding what works for you will help you maintain comfortable conditions in your home and improve overall health and wellbeing.
Thermal Comfort at Home: A Guide for Older South Australians highlights:
- What thermal comfort is and why it matters
- Key factors that influence thermal comfort
- Find your comfort profile
- Review your space
- How to improve thermal comfort (design, equipment, personal activities and around the home)
- Case studies and practical solutions
The Guide is based on scientific research from a project called ‘Improving thermal environment of housing for older Australians’. Funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the project analysed the housing of people aged 65 and over in South Australia in 2018-2021.
The project was developed by a team of researchers at the University of Adelaide with backgrounds in architecture, built environments, building services engineering, gerontology and public health. They worked in collaboration with the Urban Ageing research group at the Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, and in consultation with older people across South Australia.
The Guide is intended to be used by older people who live at home, but will also be useful to architects, building designers and organisations that provide housing for older people.