A Systems Based Approach to Policy Making: Integrating Health Whenever We Can

Governments, nonprofits, utilities and homeowners will upgrade millions of homes in the coming years to increase energy efficiency. Upgrades can lower costs, preserve resources, safeguard the environment, and advance national security. The incentive for government investment is clear, particularly for low-income residents who cannot afford upgrades on their own but benefit enormously from energy savings. However, in its current incarnation, residential energy policy leaves significant benefits on the table, and actually risks creating harm when work does not adequately address risks (e.g., radon and mold). Synergistic policy that integrates environmental health and energy goals makes it possible to reduce energy use and improve health. And because government energy programs target low-income communities, and prioritize the elderly, people with disabilities and families with children, they offer a huge potential impact on health disparities.

Integrating environmental assessment and mitigation into energy interventions can deliver health and energy outcomes, jobs creation and reduce program costs. Programs that serve populations at greatest risk of environmentally-mediated disease and train workers to deliver structural interventions are ideal targets for such integrated policy-making. One simple tool to help integrate health in energy policy is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades. The Protocols provide assessment and mitigation guidance for energy upgrade practitioners focused on the most serious indoor environmental health risks typically encountered or exacerbated during upgrades, retrofits or remodeling. This integrated approach is simple and feasible – clear evidence-based guidance exists; training programs can easily be repurposed; and resources are available through innovative cross-agency budgeting. We anticipate not only health and energy outcomes, but also economic benefits from cross-training a workforce on energy and basic community health/environmental assessment theory and practice.