Abstract
The health risks of heat exposure are well established, particularly when temperatures exceed minimum mortality thresholds (MMTs). While most epidemiological research focuses on outdoor temperatures, our study adapts a burden-of-disease framework to estimate acute health impacts from indoor heat exposure using Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). We developed a new harm intensity metric to quantify DALYs per degree of daily indoor temperature exceedance above the MMT. The method combines risk estimates, incidence rates, damage factors, and indoor temperature profiles. We applied this approach to monitored social housing in Bolzano, Italy, during summer 2024. Four scenarios were analysed, varying by age group (all ages & 65+) and two MMTs (24.4°C & 28°C). Inputs were based on meta-analyses of temperature-mortality associations and Global Burden of Disease data. Estimated impacts ranged from 0.005 to 0.022 DALYs/day for a population of 791, with higher burdens in older adults and at lower thresholds. The highest burden (0.022 DALYs/day) was observed in the 65+ group using the 24.4°C threshold. This framework supports the integration of health metrics into building and housing assessments. By expressing harm in DALYs, it enables comparison with other environmental risks and offers a foundation for future research and policy development.