# Assessing the Neuropsychological Benefits of Weatherization Programs

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2024 · $596,556

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 The homes of millions of older Americans do not provide adequate protection from extreme temperatures,
due in large part to “energy poverty.” Modifications to homes that increase energy efficiency and improve
indoor temperatures may reduce the adverse neuropsychological health impacts of extreme temperatures.
Indoor temperatures may impact sleep quality and short-term cognitive function, and high utility bills may
exacerbate the psychosocial stress of financial worry. Some of the health benefits of weatherization have been
previously characterized, including reductions in emergency department visits related to asthma. We propose
to evaluate the health and financial impacts of low-cost and higher-cost weatherization programs, considering
the novel or under-studied outcomes of financial worry, cognitive function, and sleep quality and duration. We
propose to enroll three categories of participants: those of a low-cost weatherization program in a cold climate
(Detroit, MI), those of a high-cost weatherization program in a cold climate (Madison, WI), and those of a high-
cost weatherization program in a warm climate (Memphis, TN). In a longitudinal study with sleep cycle
measurements (actigraphy), multiple surveys and sub-hourly indoor temperature and humidity monitoring per
person over one year of participation, we aim to characterize 1) associations of indoor temperatures with
cognitive function and sleep quality and duration and 2) associations of low- and high-cost weatherization
programs with indoor environmental parameters (temperature, humidity) and financial worry. In aim 3), we will
characterize the monetized health impacts of low- and high-cost weatherization programs in terms of both
community-wide air pollution benefits (related to reduced energy consumption) and recipient-specific health
benefits identified in previous research and any benefits from aims 1 and 2. This research will advance our
long-term objectives of reducing the health impacts of extreme weather, characterizing the health impacts of
the home environment, and reducing disparities in the health impacts of energy generation and use. This
research will inform policies for energy efficiency and weatherization subsidies, considering that medical
savings from expenditures on housing upgrades would potentially reduce state- or federally-subsidized
healthcare expenditures. Such interventions may improve the health of older adults via improvements to indoor
temperatures and reductions in utility costs and help households both mitigate (through decreased energy
usage) and adapt to extreme weather.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10621816
- **Project number:** 5R01ES032157-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Carina Gronlund
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $596,556
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-22 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10621816

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10621816, Assessing the Neuropsychological Benefits of Weatherization Programs (5R01ES032157-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10621816. Licensed CC0.

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