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Housing and Climate Resource Library

Indoor Temperature Resources

This page is about household temperature and how temperatures are affected in homes by features of the house. Maintaining thermal control and a safe temperature inside is one of the principles of a healthy home and is only increasing in importance with the rise of extreme heat and extreme cold events.

Relevant variables for this topic include high and low indoor temperatures, unsafe or unhealthy temperature, and stove or oven heating source.

Studies

Multidimensional Housing and Environmental Quality Index (HEQI)
The Multidimensional Housing and Environmental Quality Index (HEQI) is a one-time research study that was developed based on the World Health Organization’s Housing and Health Guidelines and used the 2019 American Housing Survey (AHS) data. The study provides information on residential environment exposure that can be used to inform strategies to address climate change. HEQI included multiple dimensions of healthy housing with the use of 10 domains: fuel combustion, dampness and mold, pests and allergens, lead paint, high indoor temperatures, low indoor temperatures, crowding, injury hazards, inadequate water and sanitation, and ventilation. The final version of the HEQI included 43 AHS variables across the 10 domains. Dampness and mold, low indoor temperatures, household crowding, and inadequate water and sanitation were the four most documented domains.

  • Dataset owner: Produced by authors affiliated with George Washington University, Tufts Medical Center, Penn State University, and Harvard University. Published in Environmental Health in 2022.
  • Dataset update frequency/maintenance: HEQI was produced in a one-time study.
  • Dataset jurisdictions included: The American Housing Survey and other national surveys were used to develop the national HEQI.
  • Specific climate and housing variables:
    • Name of variable: Fuel combustion.
      • What the variable measures: The AHS did not specifically ask about combustion activities. The study used the presence of cooking and heating appliances with fuels such as gas, wood, and kerosene as surrogates for actual use.
      • Variable source(s): The data were approximated using available data from AHS or external sources.
    • Name of variable: Household crowding.
      • What the variable measures: The AHS did not specifically ask about household crowding. The crowding indicator identified households with 1.5 or more persons per rooms, per U.S. Census and HUD’s definition of severe crowding.
      • Variable source(s): The data were approximated using available data from AHS or external sources.
    • Name of variable: Lead exposure.
      • What the variable measures: The AHS did not specifically ask about lead exposure. Study identifies lead paint risk in pre-1980 housing units with peeling paint larger than 8 inches by 11 inches.
      • Variable source(s): The data were approximated using available data from AHS or external sources.
    • Name of variable: High indoor temperatures.
      • What the variable measures: The AHS did not specifically ask about periods of high temperature. Households are identified with high indoor temperature if the household did not have central air or window air conditioning unit(s). U.S. Census regions were controlled since geographic regions and climate types can vary.
      • Variable source(s): The data were approximated using available data from AHS or external sources.
    • Name of variable: Ventilation.
      • What the variable measures: The AHS did not specifically ask about ventilation factors such as insulation or building leakage. This variable was approximation of building leakage, a measurement of building envelope airtightness relative to its size and heights.
      • Variable source(s): The data were approximated using available data from AHS or external sources. This indicator was determined by the adaptation of methods from Chan et al. (2013) and accounted for year built, unit size and height, basement and foundation types, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Climate Zone Map, and the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.
    • Name of variable: Dampness and mold.
      • What the variable measures: Mold and water leaks in the last 12 months in various places in the home.
      • Variable source(s): AHS.
    • Name of variable: Pests and allergens.
      • What the variable measures: Daily or weekly evidence of rodents or cockroaches.
      • Variable source(s): AHS.
    • Name of variable: Low indoor temperatures.
      • What the variable measures: Twenty-four hours or more when the unit was uncomfortably cold.
      • Variable source(s): AHS.
    • Name of variable: Injury hazards. 
      • What the variable measures: Electrical and structural integrity.
      • Variable source(s): AHS.
    • Name of variable: Water quality and quantity.
      • What the variable measures: Unit has no hot/cold running water, unit without running water in the last 90 days, and non-public drinking water sources.
      • Variable source(s): AHS.
    • Name of variable: Poor sanitation.
      • What the variable measures: One or more toilet breakdowns within the last two months that lasted six hours or more; one or more sewer breakdowns within last three months that lasted six hours or more; unit has no bathtub, shower, or flushing toilet; and unit does not have a working kitchen sink.
      • Variable source(s): AHS.

Surveys

National Energy Assistance Survey 
This survey asked a series of questions about the actions respondents take when they have an unaffordable energy bill and about the impact of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

  • Dataset owner: National Energy Assistance Directors Association.
  • Dataset update frequency/maintenance: Prior to this 2018 survey, studies were conducted in 2004, 2005, 2009, and 2011.
  • Dataset jurisdictions included: The study consists of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grantees in seven states which combined represent a national sample.
  • Specific climate and housing variables (each variable was a survey question):
    • Name of variable: Did you keep your home at a temperature that you felt was unsafe or unhealthy at any time of the year?
      • What the variable measures: Energy insecurity.
      • Variable source(s): Survey respondents.
    • Name of variable: Did you use your kitchen stove or oven to provide heat?
      • What the variable measures: Energy insecurity.
      • Variable source(s): Survey respondents.
    • Name of variable: Would you have needed to keep your home at a temperature that you felt was unsafe or unhealthy at any time of the year if (STATE SPECIFIC LIHEAP NAME) assistance had not been available?
      • What the variable measures: Energy insecurity.
      • Variable source(s): Survey respondents.

Latest page update: March 22, 2025.