Sickness in flats

The indoor environment is so important to our health as we spend about 90% of our time indoors, therefore having a major impact on our health. New Zealand houses have many common issues, with the biggest problems is that our houses are too cold, particularly old homes. Which can result in dampness, mould and respiratory illness, although a minimum indoor temperature of 18°C is recommended to be suitable.

Though, how warm is your flat? With our target audience of flatters, what are their odds of being sick during winter and what can our app design do to help with this.

Cold houses affect health for flatters due to being old, and often poorly insulated. Making it hard to maintain a warm house and expensive! Since student flats are cold they get damp, grow mould, also by having hot showers to warm up, cooking nice warm soups, drying laundry and even just breathing effects moisture (each person produces one litre of moisture per day), and while windows don’t always get opened during crips winter days there is no fresh airflow resulting in poor ventilation. Leaving moisture and condensation to condenses on cold uninsulated walls, with the possibility of mould growth.

Mould is not always harmful for healthy people, although there are some species that are potentially toxic and can cause reactions to people with pre-existing respiratory conditions and cause allergic reactions such as hay fever and asthma, along with cold and flu symptoms and temperature changes such as cold dry air. There is the risk of getting bronchitis developing from a cold and you're more likely to get a cold if you are tired, or emotionally or physically stressed, or do not have a healthy diet. Which are common traits of students especially when studying for exams or completing assignments, or just trying to keep on top of studies.

Heating is another problem for student flats. Firstly some heaters produce indoor air pollutants. Secondly while heating a room is nice while your watching tv, when you leave to the rest of the flat that is cold, the change in temperature can lead to sickness. Heating the whole house is the way to go, but is often too expensive for students, especially in a poorly insulated flat.

Flats can be made water by installing insulation and effective heating. Efficient, less polluting heaters include heat pumps, wood pellet burners and flued gas heaters. Heat pumps use the same technology as a refrigerator, but in reverse. They are very energy efficient, with some models producing up to 5 kilowatts of heat for every 1 kilowatt of electricity they use.

Proof there are unlovable flats in Wellington is this example of a flat in Aro Valley. “The New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) president Linsey Higgins said the mould and cold was "toxic and escalating", and could set off lifelong health issues, such as asthma, as well as leading to academic failure from being sick”. – Stuff (source NZUSA). The flat was damp, cold, and  mould on the carpet and curtains.

But are there any other alternatives to making a warmer, healthier flat?