During a presidential election debate on October 22, 2020, former President Donald Trump criticized Democratic plans to retrofit homes. He claimed they aimed to shrink windows, saying, “For them, it would be ideal if there were no windows at all.” However, within just five months, things have shifted. Although the Biden-Harris administration is not focusing on making windows smaller, they are prioritizing increasing the energy efficiency of homes. These efforts are crucial for addressing three main concerns of the new administration: stopping the spread of COVID-19, fighting climate change, and dealing with racial and economic inequalities.
As someone who researches environmental health, I have explored how poor housing conditions affect health, especially for low-income families and communities of color. From my perspective, upgrading low-income housing is a powerful strategy to address some of the nation’s urgent health, social, and environmental challenges. The pandemic has highlighted how housing directly impacts health. Obviously, maintaining physical distance is difficult if a family lives in just a few rooms. Studies have shown that crowded homes and apartments pose a high risk for spreading COVID-19. Housing also significantly contributes to climate change. Residential energy use accounts for about 20% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Large homes generally use more energy, but lower-income homes are often less efficient, leading to high heating and cooling costs.
A recent survey showed that from spring 2019 to spring 2020, a quarter of low-income American households couldn’t afford their energy bills. Families might have to cut back on essentials like food or medicine to pay these bills or endure unhealthy temperatures. As summers get longer and hotter, those without air conditioning or who can’t afford it are at risk. Racial disparities in housing are not accidental. Historically, discriminatory policies have prevented Black and other minority families from buying homes in many neighborhoods.
There are still wide racial gaps in homeownership rates and the quality of available housing across the U.S. For these reasons, housing is now a political focus. The Biden-Harris platform includes plans for home energy efficiency upgrades. The American Rescue Plan Act signed into law on March 11 by President Biden includes measures to prevent evictions and improve energy security. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge has committed to prioritizing fair housing. These initiatives are interrelated. Energy-efficiency improvements in low-income housing have widespread effects, such as financial relief for residents, reduced carbon emissions, and healthier indoor living spaces.
However, important questions remain. Will government agencies handle these as separate issues or in a holistic manner? Will federal leaders and Congress recognize housing investments as a strategy with extensive societal benefits? Data from the American Housing Survey highlights challenges faced by low-income families. Many of the over 30 million Americans living below the poverty line reside in small, older homes with structural issues like pest infestations, mold, peeling paint, and exposed wiring. Living in such conditions poses health risks from lead paint, allergens, and indoor air pollution. The pandemic’s economic challenges have made these risks worse, with more time spent at home. Poor conditions are also common in chronically underfunded public housing. Improving these buildings is crucial given the vulnerability of public housing residents.
Properly designed energy-efficiency measures can yield economic, health, and environmental benefits in single-family and multifamily homes, especially low-income ones. My research shows both the potential benefits and risks of different measures. For instance, better insulation reduces electricity and fuel usage, saving money, improving outdoor air quality, and lowering greenhouse emissions. However, improvements can be done well or poorly. We found that simply adding insulation and sealing cracks, without further upgrades, may actually increase indoor air pollution in low-income multifamily homes, especially where smoking or frequent gas stove use occurs. This is because air pollutants become trapped.
Combining weatherization with installing kitchen exhaust fans and high-efficiency particle filters in heating and cooling systems leads to healthier results. If better housing saves money, makes residents healthier and more comfortable, enhances air quality, cuts greenhouse emissions, and reduces racial disparities, why isn’t it more common? One reason is that the people funding these improvements, like landlords or government agencies, often don’t enjoy the benefits of living in a home with better air quality and insulation.
Similarly, housing improvements are rarely considered by healthcare providers as a healthcare intervention. But this perception might change. A recent study showed that stable, affordable housing improved both physical and mental health for children and adults. Green building strategies have improved health, reduced asthma symptoms, and cut healthcare costs. Healthier children tend to miss less school and achieve better grades. Strategic federal investments could save taxpayers money and enhance public health. A 2020 study found that federal rental assistance, allowing families to access better housing, reduced emergency department visits for children with asthma, benefiting the Medicaid system. Subsidized energy efficiency upgrades also increase property values, which helps address long-standing racial wealth disparities.