PROTOCOL TO EVALUATE THE MOISTURE DURABILITY OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT WALLS

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2016

OSTI ID:1355875

Boudreaux, Philip R ^[1]; Pallin, Simon B ^[1]; Hun, Diana E ^[1]; Kehrer, Manfred ^[1]; Jackson, Roderick K ^[1]; Desjarlais, Andre Omer ^[1]

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1. ORNL

Walls account for about 8% of the energy used in residential buildings. This energy penalty can be reduced with higher insulation levels and increased airtightness. However, these measures can compromise the moisture durability and long-term performance of wall assemblies because they can lead to lower moisture tolerance due to reduced drying potential. To avert these problems, a moisture durability protocol was developed to evaluate the probability that an energy-efficient wall design will experience mold growth. This protocol examines the effects of moisture sources in walls through a combination of simulations and lab experiments, uses the mold growth index as the moisture durability indicator, and is based on a probabilistic approach that utilizes stochastically varying input parameters. The simulation tools used include a new validated method for taking into account the effects of air leakage in wall assemblies This paper provides an overview of the developed protocol, discussion of the probabilistic simulation approach and describes results from the evaluation of two wall assemblies in Climate Zones 2, 4, and 6. The protocol will be used to supply builders with wall designs that are energy efficient, moisture durable and cost-effective.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC)
• Sponsoring Organization: EE USDOE - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1355875
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

durability
hygrothermal
moisture
simulations
walls