This post explains a new Penn State–led research project that uses wearable sensors, environmental monitoring, and machine learning to help homeowners adapt older houses to more frequent and intense heatwaves.
Backed by a $1 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Healthy Homes Program, the work aims to produce practical, low-cost retrofit recommendations and city-scale data to strengthen residential thermal resilience.
Why thermal resilience in homes has become urgent
Across many U.S. cities, housing stock built for colder climates is now ill-suited to withstand prolonged heat events.
In places like Philadelphia, older rowhouses and prewar buildings often lack modern cooling strategies, leaving residents vulnerable to heat stress and high energy bills.
Heat resilience is not only a comfort issue; it is a public health and equity concern.
Low-income households and older adults disproportionately occupy the most thermally vulnerable dwellings.
A targeted, science-driven solution
Led by Penn State architectural engineering professor Julian Wang, the research team is developing a system that combines wearable physiological sensors, indoor and outdoor environmental data, and machine learning models.
The goal is to understand how both occupants and building envelopes respond to heat so that interventions are tailored to the specific vulnerabilities of each home.
Rather than relying on expensive, time-consuming audits, this data-driven approach aims to generate low-cost, high-impact recommendations.
It prioritizes fixes that reduce indoor temperatures and energy use while avoiding measures that might increase carbon emissions.
Practical retrofit recommendations the project emphasizes
The researchers are exploring a range of interventions that can be deployed quickly and affordably.
The emphasis is on measures that reduce heat exposure indoors, lower cooling costs, and can be scaled across neighborhoods and cities.
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Air sealing: Closing gaps and leaks reduces hot air infiltration and improves cooling efficiency.
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Window films and shading: Solar-control films and exterior shading can dramatically cut heat gain through glazing.
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Improved insulation: Targeted insulation in attics and walls stabilizes indoor temperatures during heatwaves.
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Reflective roofing: Cool roof coatings lower roof surface temperatures and the amount of heat transferred indoors.
Balancing short-term relief with long-term sustainability
Wang stresses the importance of choosing strategies that do not trade short-term thermal relief for greater greenhouse gas emissions.
Where possible, solutions should reduce cooling loads rather than increasing reliance on energy-intensive air conditioning.
Scaling insights from homes to neighborhoods
One of the most promising aspects of the project is its potential to inform community-level planning.
Aggregated, anonymized data can help energy agencies and local governments prioritize investments and craft policy that improves resilience at scale.
Partners on the grant include the Philadelphia Energy Authority and the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia.
These organizations bridge research findings with on-the-ground retrofit programs and community outreach.
What this means for homeowners and cities
For homeowners, the research promises affordable, personalized guidance that reduces indoor heat risk and energy bills. These benefits are achieved without costly full-house retrofits.
For cities and planners, the data can sharpen resilience strategies. It also helps direct funds where they will do the most good.
By combining wearable sensing, environmental monitoring and machine learning, this Penn State-led initiative offers a pragmatic pathway to make older housing stock safer and more comfortable in a warming climate.
Here is the source article for this story: Q&A: Using science to help homeowners beat the heat during extreme weather