*3.5. Mortality across Adapted Dwelling Variants*

Figure 5 shows the variation in mean heat mortality risk by dwelling, occupant age group, and heat mitigating (shutters) or deleterious behaviour (windows closed). The greatest risk is estimated in those aged over 85 living in mid terraced dwellings. Bungalows, which showed a rapid increase in mortality with increasing temperatures, have a relatively low rate of mortality within each age category. This low rate of mortality is due to the modest temperatures within the modelled bungalows, while the rapid rise in mortality per thousand occupants is due to bungalows being homes to the largest proportion of elderly in the West Midlands. The dwelling types do not show a consistent order of risk within each age classification due to the variation in the fabric and geometry characteristics of the dwellings.

Heat mitigating (shutters) or deleterious behaviour (windows closed) (Figure 5) also has a significant impact on mortality risk, varying by dwelling and occupant vulnerability. In most cases, application of shutters greatly reduces the risk of heat mortality in dwellings with vulnerable occupants. For those aged over 85, shutters led to a median reduction of 40% mortality risk, with a range of 37–78%, while for those between 75 and 85 the median reduction was 59% (range: 37–90%). Shutters were less effective in ground floor flats and dwellings with low glazing areas. Leaving windows closed led to a median increase in risk for occupants over 85 of 164% (range: 130–219%), and a median increase of 164% (range: 119–257%) for those between 75 and 85.

**Figure 5.** The median mortality per 1000 occupants over the 2030 summer by occupant age classification and dwelling type for the current stock, and with shutters or windows closed. The cumulative frequency of each age class/dwelling variant is shown on the secondary axis.
