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A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health

Energy use in buildings can influence the indoor environment. Studies on green buildings, energy saving measures, energy use, fuel poverty, and ventilation have been reviewed, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The d...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Wang, Chengju, Wang, Juan, Norbäck, Dan
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9223700/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35742650
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127393
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author Wang, Chengju
Wang, Juan
Norbäck, Dan
author_facet Wang, Chengju
Wang, Juan
Norbäck, Dan
author_sort Wang, Chengju
collection PubMed
description Energy use in buildings can influence the indoor environment. Studies on green buildings, energy saving measures, energy use, fuel poverty, and ventilation have been reviewed, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The database PubMed was searched for articles published up to 1 October 2020. In total, 68 relevant peer-reviewed epidemiological or exposure studies on radon, biological agents, and chemicals were included. The main aim was to assess current knowledge on how energy saving measures and energy use can influence health. The included studies concluded that buildings classified as green buildings can improve health. More efficient heating and increased thermal insulation can improve health in homes experiencing fuel poverty. However, energy-saving measures in airtight buildings and thermal insulation without installation of mechanical ventilation can impair health. Energy efficiency retrofits can increase indoor radon which can cause lung cancer. Installation of a mechanical ventilation systems can solve many of the negative effects linked to airtight buildings and energy efficiency retrofits. However, higher ventilation flow can increase the indoor exposure to outdoor air pollutants in areas with high levels of outdoor air pollution. Finally, future research needs concerning energy aspects of buildings and health were identified.
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spelling pubmed-92237002022-06-24 A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health Wang, Chengju Wang, Juan Norbäck, Dan Int J Environ Res Public Health Review Energy use in buildings can influence the indoor environment. Studies on green buildings, energy saving measures, energy use, fuel poverty, and ventilation have been reviewed, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The database PubMed was searched for articles published up to 1 October 2020. In total, 68 relevant peer-reviewed epidemiological or exposure studies on radon, biological agents, and chemicals were included. The main aim was to assess current knowledge on how energy saving measures and energy use can influence health. The included studies concluded that buildings classified as green buildings can improve health. More efficient heating and increased thermal insulation can improve health in homes experiencing fuel poverty. However, energy-saving measures in airtight buildings and thermal insulation without installation of mechanical ventilation can impair health. Energy efficiency retrofits can increase indoor radon which can cause lung cancer. Installation of a mechanical ventilation systems can solve many of the negative effects linked to airtight buildings and energy efficiency retrofits. However, higher ventilation flow can increase the indoor exposure to outdoor air pollutants in areas with high levels of outdoor air pollution. Finally, future research needs concerning energy aspects of buildings and health were identified. MDPI 2022-06-16 /pmc/articles/PMC9223700/ /pubmed/35742650 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127393 Text en © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Review
Wang, Chengju
Wang, Juan
Norbäck, Dan
A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health
title A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health
title_full A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health
title_fullStr A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health
title_full_unstemmed A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health
title_short A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health
title_sort systematic review of associations between energy use, fuel poverty, energy efficiency improvements and health
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9223700/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35742650
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127393
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