Long term simulation of the hygro-thermal response of buildings - Results and questions

Paper i proceeding, 2008

Studying the effects of the climate change on buildings contains two major fields: energy consumption and durability. In the field of durability the moisture effects on the building play a significant role. In Sweden the last 10-15 years have been mild and wet compared to previously. Precipitation increased considerably during the period (+11 %), whereas temperature increase were weaker (+ 0.7 oC). The direction in which the most recent decade deviated from earlier observations is to a large degree consistent with what is suggested by climate scenarios. A consequence of increasing humidity and temperature in outdoor environment is higher risk of the mould growth in buildings. The conditions for the mould growth on wooden surfaces can be described by mould growth index (MGI), which basically tells how large part of a surface is covered by mould. MGI can be numerically evaluated from the known hygrothermal conditions at a surface, e.g. from the temperature and relative humidity and their time distribution. This paper concerns the using a reliable mould growth model for long time periods, such as those discribed by the climate scenarios.