Surface condensation and mould affect about 15 percent of the UK housing stock. This paper reports BRE studies in occupied dwellings on the effectiveness in various situations of a range of remedial measures, which included improvements to thermal insulation and heating, and the provision of extractor fans and dehumidifiers. The flats and 2-storey houses involved were all of traditional construction with brick walls and pitched roofs.
Discusses two main methods of fan-assisted air supply to a room - mixing ventilation and displacement ventilation. Gives a detailed account of the effects which furniture and the opening of doors have on a room and discussses factors such as vertical temperature variations, air velocity at floor level. Illustrates these effects in diagram form. Notes difficulty in translating older comfort criteria for use in displacement ventilation.
A new Building Research Establishment audio-visual package, 'Remedies for condensation and mould in traditional housing' sets out the findings of field trials of some available remedies for condensation and mould, carried out in England and Scotland on estates which had a history of complaints of dampness. This research has led to a new understanding of the factors involved in the occurence of condensation and the ways in which they interact. Condensation is most likely to be a problem in the homes which use the least heating.
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