An ‘EPC’ for Healthy homes?
We’re willing to pay up to 14% more for an ‘eco’ property, haggle less on price – and in the UK, that EPC rating could even unlock a cheaper mortgage deal – EPC and property value.
What would it take to get similar traction on a simple ‘A to E’ scale that lets you know how likely the place is to help you feel healthy – sleep well, breathe easy, feel comfortable and safe?
And what should be included in the equation?
That was the question under debate at the All Party Parliamentary Group in Westminster last week, with Dr Jemima Unwin-Teji eloquently making the case for light.
But, rolling home on the train, it struck me that ‘healthy homes’ standards already exist, backed by global marketing campaigns and teams of trained professionals poised to check compliance – WELL, Fitwell, the Healthy Homes Checklist to name but a few.
But I for one haven’t spotted any of those logos on RightMove – or any mention of ‘health and wellbeing’ in the blurb beyond references to ‘bright and airy’, ‘cosy’ or ‘cheerful’ – estate agent speak for draughty, cramped or garish.
It’s not that we don’t care about our health, especially as we age: the global ‘longevity’ market is currently valued at just over $31 billion (roughly the annual GDP of Nepal) – Countries by GDP, growing at an estimated 8.3% CAGR – LONGEVITY MARKET SIZE & SHARE ANALYSIS – GROWTH TRENDS AND FORECAST (2026 – 2031).
So what’s in the gap?
I wonder if it’s our inability to get our heads around a cycle of cause and effect that often builds up over time – how many would make the connection between a fractious toddler and a flickering downlight, a teen who can’t sleep and curtains that don’t fit, feeling miserable in November and a ‘home office’ in a windowless spare room?
This compounded by the fact that housing is so scarce and expensive in the UK that many feel they have little choice. Builders under fierce pressure from rising costs shave specifications to the bone, A lack of resources to enforce the standards that already exist, and a tax system that favours new build over retrofit are all part of the equation.
The global certification brands have laid the groundwork for a health performance rating to help ordinary people make better-informed choices about where they live work and play. I’m excited to see the interdisciplinary conversation continue and helping to make that happen,
Perhaps one day we’ll see an HPC alongside the EPC on the Rightmove site.
Two weeks into World Alzheimer’s Month
The stats are sobering – Alzheimers International estimates that someone develops the condition every three seconds. So chances are that you know someone coping with that diagnosis today – World Alzheimer’s Month.
The term covers a bewildering array of subtypes and symptoms. Research is uncovering more subtle distinctions every day. It’s tempting to get lost in the complexity.
But in terms of lighting and the visual environment, there are two broad effects of neurodegenerative diseases we need to know:
The death of retinal ganglion cells, inflammation and a reduction of blood supply to the back of the eye, attenuates the signals that drive mood, attention and the body clock and the muscles that control the pupil, the ‘window’ that lets the light in – Brain and retina in Alzheimer’s disease: Pathological intersections and estimates from imaging.
The degeneration of critical pathways that transmit those noisy signals to the visual cortex to generate a context-appropriate and stable experience of the world: that’s a shadow and not a hole, your face reflected in a mirror, not a stranger peering in – Clinical and neurocognitive aspects of hallucinations in Alzheimer’s disease.
That understanding is the foundation for three simple principles of supportive lighting design
1. Contrast
Meaningful difference in quality and quantity of light between morning evening and night, and across zones in the home. Bright light therapy’ and circadian approaches have the potential to improve mood and fragmented sleep, while light exposure after dark increases risk of developing the condition – Effects of Circadian Phase Tailored Light Therapy on Sleep, Mood, and Cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease: Preliminary Findings in a Pivotal Study. But a simple shift from bright/cool to soft/warm is enough to shape emotions and behaviour.
2. Clarity
Clearly legible and logical edges, objects and landmarks, beyond basic uniformity and ‘light reflectance values’ that can result in a flat ‘vanilla’ space. Highlight textures and features to build a distinct sense of place and specify sources with higher colour rendering so that subtle shifts in emotion are easier to read and food stands out from the plate.
3. Choice
Everyone experiences the condition differently, sensitivity changes over time and medication affects response. Loved ones and carers also share the space, so it needs to work harder to meet the wide range of needs, Designing different settings across a home, or ‘scenes’ within a space along with intuitive, easy to use controls will help to give everyone the luxury of small acts of personal choice and control..
We are a long way from a cure, but creating comfortable, supportive spaces can help to make the wait a bit easier.