RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Outcomes from the Victorian Healthy Homes Program: a randomised control trial of home energy upgrades
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e082340
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082340
VO 15
IS 2
A1 Page, Katie
A1 Hossain, Lutfun
A1 Liu, Dan
A1 Kim, Yo Han
A1 Wilmot, Kerryn
A1 Kenny, Patricia
A1 Campbell, Margaret
A1 Cumming, Toby
A1 Kelly, Scott
A1 Longden, Thomas
A1 van Gool, Kees
A1 Viney, Rosalie
A1 
YR 2025
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e082340.abstract
AB Objectives The Victorian Healthy Homes Program investigated the impact of thermal home upgrades on energy and health outcomes in vulnerable, older individuals over winter in Victoria, Australia.Design A staggered parallel-group randomised control trial design of 984 (764 per protocol (PP)) vulnerable households and 1313 (1015 PP) individuals. The intervention group received their upgrade prior to their winter of recruitment, and the control group received their upgrade after the winter of their recruitment.Setting Western Melbourne (metropolitan) and the Goulburn Valley (regional) in Victoria, Australia.Participants 1000 households were recruited: 800 from western Melbourne (metropolitan) and 200 from the Goulburn Valley (regional).Intervention A thermal comfort and home energy efficiency upgrade of up to $AUD3500 per household.Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was the change in indoor temperature over winter and the secondary outcomes were changes in quality of life, healthcare use and costs, self-reported health measures, energy use and costs and humidity.Results A relatively low-cost and simple home upgrade (average cost $A2809) resulted in reduced gas consumption (−25.5 MJ/day) and increased indoor winter temperatures (average daily increase of 0.33°C), and a reduction of exposure to cold conditions (<18°C) by an average of 0.71 hours (43 min) per day. The intervention group experienced improved mental health as measured by the short-form 36 mental component summary and social care related quality of life measured by the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit, less breathlessness and lower overall healthcare costs (an average of $A887 per person) over the winter period.Conclusions The home upgrades significantly increased average winter indoor temperature, improved mental health and social care-related quality of life and made householders more comfortable while yielding reductions in overall healthcare use and costs.Trial registration number Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12618000160235.No data are available. Health data are held in a secure research environment hosted by the Sax Institute and are archived. This was part of the consent conditions and data storage for the trial.