Building products company, CSR, is calling for an increased focus on condensation management in homes, saying it has largely been overlooked as a critical building science issue.
According to CSR, while condensation damage affects thousands of homes and apartment blocks each year, the problem often goes un-noticed by home owners until expensive repairs are required.
The company says that even before visual damage occurs, conditions are often conducive to mould and rot occurring.
To bring the issue to the forefront, CSR has undertaken scientific modelling to shine more light on condensation and how it can be managed through building design and renovation projects for existing residences.
CSR building scientist, Jesse Clarke, has been leading the research efforts at CSR to help better inform the design of both new builds and renovation projects. His scientific modelling was based on an average Australian residential building with a 150m2 exposed roof surface and 150m3 of roof volume.
Using software analysis, the properties of the roof space were evaluated against the weather patterns for an entire year in Australia's major cities by using weather data from the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers. The simulation was conducted using different roofing materials and design traits.
The initial results revealed that higher levels of condensation were occurring in homes with lower levels of ventilation. Clarke explains the data confirms that the majority of homes have inadequate measures in place to manage moisture and condensation build-up in the roof space and other cavities.
