Enhancing Heat Resilience: Passive Cooling Solutions for Homes

This technical report focuses on practical, building-level measures that improve heat resilience in homes, especially in vulnerable communities. Its central contribution is a comparison of passive cooling strategies under both grid-on and grid-off conditions, which makes it useful for resilience planning rather than just energy efficiency. The report identifies roof insulation and solar-control window films as the two most effective measures across both scenarios because they reduce heat gains through the building envelope, lower cooling loads, and reduce indoor air temperature. That finding is important because it supports interventions that remain valuable during power outages, when mechanical cooling may be unavailable.

The report is implementation-oriented: it is not limited to theory, but evaluates specific upgrades that can be incorporated into homes. The emphasis on roof insulation is especially relevant for retrofit work because the roof is often a dominant heat-gain pathway. Solar-control films are similarly practical because they can be added to existing glazing without major reconstruction. The report’s value lies in its focus on measures that work in real housing stock and in conditions where occupants may be exposed to extreme heat, limited access to air conditioning, or unstable electricity supply.

Because it compares grid-on and grid-off operation, the report also helps decision-makers understand which strategies deliver benefits even when resilience is the primary objective. That makes it relevant for housing agencies, retrofit programs, emergency preparedness planning, and building professionals working with low-income or heat-vulnerable households. The report provides a concrete framework for prioritizing envelope upgrades that improve survivability, reduce indoor heat stress, and increase the robustness of homes under climate extremes.