Thermo-staat

Many Dutch rental homes heat up considerably during the summer. That can lead to physical and mental complaints: heat stress. In the project Thermo-staat, residents throughout the Netherlands join forces with scientists from TU Delft and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, investigative journalists from the VPRO and experts from Waag. Together we investigate the consequences of heat stress on the living environment of citizens.

In this project we experiment with innovative, equal collaborations between the public and journalism. To this end, journalists from the Argos editorial team (VPRO) partially open up their investigative process. Citizen scientists are not only supported in mapping heat in rented housing, but are also in constant contact with journalists and experts via a digital platform to clarify their data and to contribute ideas about relevant journalistic questions.

Waag supervises the measurement network and builds the technical infrastructure for this project. In the summer of 2023 and 2024, about eighty residents measure temperature and humidity in their homes with the open-source thermometers developed by Waag. Together, we increase the action perspective of citizen scientists and Dutch trust in investigative journalism.

Results 2023

Waag, HvA and VPRO published the 2023 results in the report Thermo-staat. The report provides insights into the temperature differences between different types of houses, for example between different floors, cardinal directions and forms of ownership. For instance rental homes are on average two degrees warmer than owner-occupied homes.

In addition, the report describes how citizen science helps raise awareness of heat issues and provides people with options to do something against heat stress. Residents reported that they feel more agency to raise heat stress and advocate for solutions. For instance, housing corporation Ymere installed sun screens as a result of the project and a resident from Nijmegen wants to use her Thermo-staat data to go to court. 

Download the report (English)

Thermo-staat was nominated for the Prix Europa!

IMPETUS programme

From May to December 2024, Thermo-staat is part of the IMPETUS programme. IMPETUS is a programme that supports citizen-science projects through funding, knowledge sharing, training and other resources.