For the first time in 20 years, the Public Health Agency is tightening its recommendations for indoor temperatures. The reason is that heat waves have become more common as a result of climate change.
“Climate change is expected to mean that heat waves will become more frequent, more intense and longer lasting,” the authority writes in a press release on its website.
In the past, the Public Health Agency’s advice has focused on the cold weather, but in the new general advice, a big focus is placed on high temperatures.
The tightened advice is primarily aimed at supervisory authorities, but can be used by property owners and operators at nursing homes and schools, who must ensure that it does not get too hot indoors.
The Public Health Authority’s recommended maximum indoor temperature is 26 degrees during summer, and 24 degrees during spring, autumn and winter.
Increases mortality by 10 percent
The heat wave poses health risks, especially for more vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly who are extra sensitive to high temperatures, states the authority.
Swedish studies, which are also the basis for SMHI’s heat warning system, show that mortality increases by approximately 10 percent per day if the outdoor temperature reaches 26 degrees or more for three days in a row. The risk increases by another 10 percent if the temperature reaches 30 degrees or more three days in a row, writes the Public Health Agency.
Affects school children’s performance
High temperatures in classrooms also have a negative effect on school children’s performance.
The authority believes that heat-related ill health can be prevented, for example by municipalities, regions and other healthcare providers developing action plans for heat waves.
The Public Health Authority’s new advice contains concrete proposals for what operators can do to keep temperatures down. This concerns, for example, shading structures such as trees, the number of people staying in the premises and improvement of insulation and ventilation.
Common with complaints
According to the authority, it is common to have complaints about too hot an indoor climate. In an environmental health survey from 2023, 33 percent of the population answered that they are too hot indoors at least once a week.
“Whoever owns a property or runs a business is responsible for ensuring that the indoor environment does not cause negative health effects,” writes the Public Health Agency.
Someone who has noticed the complaints about high indoor temperatures, which accompany the summer heat, is the Tenants’ Association. According to the association, the indoor temperature must be in line with the public health authority’s recommendations.
– Many tenants contact us and wonder what the landlord’s obligation is to keep the temperatures down, and many want tips on what they can do themselves, says Johanna Lundmark, communicator at the Tenants Association’s service center, in a press release.
– Your landlord is obliged to ensure that the indoor temperature is at the right level and that the ventilation works, she continues.
You may be entitled to reduced rent if you cannot use your apartment fully due to too high or too low a temperature, explains Johanna Lundmark.
According to the Public Health Agency’s recommendations, the temperature should not fall below 18 degrees indoors.
– If your landlord does not do what is possible to improve the indoor temperature, you can contact the environmental and health protection administration in your municipality and ask for help.
Fact: You can do this yourself
Keep out the sun and heat
As much as possible during the day. Keep windows and doors closed and draw blinds and curtains.
Weather in the evening/night when the temperature outside is lower than inside,
Try to arrange cross strokes. If you live close to the ground: do not sleep with an open balcony door or open windows due to the risk of burglary. Also remember to close before you leave home.
An ordinary table or floor fan cools because moving air feels cooler. You can also place a shallow bowl of ice in front of the fan. When the ice melts, it cools the air that the fan blows around the room.
If you have trouble sleeping, you can try cooling your sheets in a bag in the refrigerator a few hours before you go to bed.
Spray the curtains with water or do the same with sheets or towels that you hang in an open window in the evening. The wind that comes in is then cooled down.
Avoid making it hotter.
Turn off devices that emit heat, such as computers, TVs and other electronics. Remember to turn them off completely, as they generate heat even in stand-by mode. Turn off unnecessary lighting that has light sources other than LED. For example, fluorescent and halogen lamps become hot when lit. Avoid using the oven, stove and dishwasher during the hottest hours of the day.
Keep cool.
Drink plenty of water. Have ice cubes and ice cream in the freezer to cool off with. Wear clothes made of cool natural materials that breathe. Rinse wrists with cold water. Take a cold foot bath, cool your forehead or neck with a wet towel or take a swim outdoors.
Source: Tenants’ Association Riksförbundet