The health economic assessment tool (HEAT) has been developed for cycling and walking. WHO assumes regular exercise may lower mortality by 30 per cent. On the basis of this assumption HEAT calculates the answer to the question: if x number of people cycle or walk distance y, what is the economic benefit as a consequence of the lower mortality?
HEAT can be used in various situations, for instance for infrastructural planning, the value of commuting by bicycle, calculating the possible profit of an increase in the percentage of cycling, and other cost-benefit analyses. It has for instance calculated that for Austria the current modal split of 5% with an average journey length of 2 km saves 405 million Euro annually.