Performance criteria for the avoidance of mould growth in dwellings

Hector Altamirano-Medina*, Mike Davies, Ka Man Lai, Dejan Mumovic, Ian Ridley, Tadj Oreszczyn

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

Abstract

The avoidance of mould growth in dwellings is of worldwide concern. In England and Wales, the relevant Building Regulations guidance document recommends ventilation provisions to control both moisture and other pollutants in buildings. The performance criterion for moisture states that there should be no visible mould on external walls in a properly heated dwelling with typical moisture production. The relevant guidance document (ADF) further states that this moisture criterion will be met if the Relative Humidity (RH) in a room does not exceed 70% for more than 2 hours in any 12 hour period, and does not exceed 90% for more than 1 hour in any 12 hour period during the heating season. This paper presents initial exploratory results on the investigation of these performance criteria, which is a part of a much larger study relating to RH in dwellings. A number of experiments in a tightly controlled environmental chamber programmed to maintain suitable profiles of RH levels and temperatures which relate to typical surface conditions in dwellings in England and Wales have been carried out.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIAQVEC 2007 Proceedings - 6th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings
Subtitle of host publicationSustainable Built Environment
Pages241-246
Number of pages6
Publication statusPublished - 2007
Event6th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings: Sustainable Built Environment, IAQVEC 2007 - Sendai, Japan
Duration: 28 Oct 200731 Oct 2007

Publication series

NameIAQVEC 2007 Proceedings - 6th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings: Sustainable Built Environment
Volume1

Conference

Conference6th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings: Sustainable Built Environment, IAQVEC 2007
Country/TerritoryJapan
CitySendai
Period28/10/0731/10/07

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

User-Defined Keywords

  • Mould
  • Performance criteria
  • Relative humidity
  • Transient conditions

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