An investigation of the relationships between indoor environmental conditions, thermal comfort and wellbeing of older occupants: Impact of frailty level

• The study has investigated relationships between older people, frailty, IEQ, thermal comfort and wellbeing. • Thermal comfort and adaptive behaviour of the frail group were different from the non-frail group. • The non-frail group had a wider thermal acceptability range than the frail group. • The frail group wore more clothing layers and used AC and fan more frequently. • Frailty level must be considered in designing the living environment of older people. With a continuous increase of the proportion of low socio-economic older people in society, ensuring that their living environment is thermally comfortable and conducive to maintain their health and wellbeing, particularly in the face of climate change, has become a pressing issue. This study reports on the relationships between indoor environmental quality parameters, occupants’ characteristics, thermal adaptive behaviours, thermal comfort and perceived wellbeing of low socio-economic older people living independently in South Australia. Primary data were derived from indoor environmental monitoring and occupant surveys over a 9-month period in 42 households involving 53 occupants. In particular, the study examined whether differences exist in those relationships between those identified to be ‘frail’ (n = 33) and ‘non-frail’ (n = 20). The results demonstrate that there are statistically significant differences between the two cohorts in their thermal adaptive behaviours and thermal comfort, expressed as thermal sensation, preference and satisfaction, as well as their thermal acceptability and perception of wellbeing in relation to their thermal environment. The findings suggest that current and future frailty of older people must be considered in housing design and modifications.