Older adults living in northern Sweden will gain practical, research-backed strategies for staying safe during summer heatwaves, after Umeå University researchers received nearly SEK 9 million from Formas to study how indoor heat affects mental well-being.
The project, led by Weizhuo Lu, professor and director of the Intelligent Human-Buildings Interaction Lab (IHBI) at the Department of Applied Physics and Electronics, will use a climate chamber, virtual home environments and body-monitoring technology to identify which adaptations make a measurable difference in protecting older residents’ psychological health during extreme heat.
How the IHBI Lab Measures Heat’s Impact on the Body and Brain
Researchers at the IHBI use a climate chamber and virtual environments designed to replicate ordinary homes, allowing participants to feel at home while scientists precisely control indoor temperatures. The lab houses physiological sensors and brain-activity monitoring equipment that, combined with participants’ own accounts, helps researchers investigate the links between indoor heat, physiological responses, stress, fatigue and mental well-being.
“The strength of our lab is that we can study the indoor environment and human responses together. Our equipment allows us to investigate how people experience heat and which adaptations make a meaningful difference to their well-being,” Lu said.
Why Northern Swedish Homes Face Unique Cooling Challenges
The study centers on northern Sweden, a region where houses have long been built to hold in heat during freezing winters through solid insulation and energy-efficient building envelopes. These same features can make homes difficult to keep cool during summer heatwaves, creating a public health challenge as many older people continue living in their own homes.
Tailoring Advice to Different Housing and Resource Levels
The study will examine how differences in housing conditions, mobility, financial resources and social support influence older people’s ability to respond to heat. Researchers aim to develop guidance that works across different types of homes and remains realistic for people with varying needs and resources.
“A home should remain a place where people can rest, recover and manage everyday life, even during a heatwave. We want to provide advice that works in different homes and is realistic for people with different needs and resources,” Lu said.
Developing Practical Guidance With Community Input
The project brings together building research, psychology and neuroscience in a single experimental setting, allowing researchers to recreate and compare indoor conditions to better understand heat’s effects and evaluate measures that reduce its impact. Researchers will develop recommendations covering solar shading, ventilation and everyday ways of managing indoor heat in dialogue with older people, relatives, senior citizens’ organisations and Umeå Municipality. The advice is intended both to help residents make informed choices and to support municipalities and housing organisations in planning effective, accessible climate adaptation.
As many older people continue living in their own homes, making ordinary housing suitable for a warmer climate is an important public health challenge.
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