ESTONIAN ACADEMY
PUBLISHERS
eesti teaduste
akadeemia kirjastus
PUBLISHED
SINCE 1952
 
Proceeding cover
proceedings
of the estonian academy of sciences
ISSN 1736-7530 (Electronic)
ISSN 1736-6046 (Print)
Impact Factor (2022): 0.9
Indoor climate conditions and hygrothermal loads in historic wooden apartment buildings in cold climates; pp. 146–156
PDF | doi: 10.3176/proc.2015.2.03

Authors
Endrik Arumägi, Targo Kalamees, Urve Kallavus
Abstract

To design and assess indoor climate, thermal comfort, and the hygrothermal performance of a historic building it is essential to obtain data on the indoor temperature and humidity conditions. This paper analyses indoor climate conditions in historic wooden apartment buildings in Estonia and presents an applicable hygrothermal load model for designers. The average indoor temperature of 41 apartments in historic wooden apartment buildings was 21.0 °C in winter and 24.5 °C in summer. Using the indoor climate category III of the standard EN 15251, it was found that the temperature was outside the target values in 83% of the apartments in winter and in 25% in summer. Throughout the year, the indoor temperature was below the target values during 20% of the time while in winter it was above the target values during 4% of the time. Variations in indoor temperature reflect occupants’ main complaints about unstable temperature and cold floors during the winter period. The daily average moisture excess was 3.3 g/m3 during the cold period and 0.6 g/m3 during the warm period at the average air change rate of 0.56 h–1 and 0.79 h–1, respectively. Moisture generation indoors was 60 g/h at the average living density of 26 m2/person in the historic wooden apartment buildings. For stochastic analyses in historic wooden buildings, we developed an indoor hygrothermal load model that is in good agreement with measured results.

References

Arumägi, E. and Kalamees, T. 2014. Analysis of energy economic renovation for historic wooden apartment buildings in cold climates. Appl. Energ., 115, 540–548.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.10.041

Asikainen, A., Hänninen, O., Brelih, N., Bischof, W., Hart­mann, T., Carrer, P., and Wargocki, P. 2013. The proportion of residences in European countries with ventilation rates below the regulation based limit value. Int. J. Ventilation, 12(2), 129–134.

Becker, R. and Paciuk, M. 2009. Thermal comfort in residential buildings – failure to predict by standard model. Build. Environ., 44, 948–960.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.06.011

Bornehag, C. G., Sundell, J., Bonini, S., Custovic, A., Malm­berg, P., and Skerfving, S. 2004. Dampness in build­ings as a risk factor for health effects, EUROEXPO: a multidisciplinary review of the literature (1998–2000) on dampness and mite exposure in buildings and health effects. Indoor Air, 14, 243–257.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2004.00240.x

Chappells, H. and Shove, E. 2005. Debating the future of comfort: environmental sustainability, energy con­sumption and the indoor environment. Build. Res. Inf., 33, 32–40.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0961321042000322762

CR 1752. 1999. Ventilation for buildings: Design criteria for the indoor environment. CEN, Brussels.

De Dear, R. 2004. Thermal comfort in practice. Indoor Air, 14, Supplement s7, 32–39.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2004.00270.x

Dimitroulopoulou, C. 2012. Ventilation in European dwel­lings: a review. Build. Environ., 47, 109–125.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2011.07.016

EN 15251. 2007. Indoor environmental input parameters for design and assessment of energy performance of build­ings addressing indoor air quality, thermal environ­ment, lighting and acoustics. CEN, Brussels.

Frontczak, M. and Wargocki, P. 2011. Literature survey on how different factors influence human comfort in indoor environments. Build. Environ., 48, 922–937.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2010.10.021

Geving, S. and Holme, J. 2012. Mean and diurnal indoor air humidity loads in residential buildings. J. Build. Phys., 35(4), 392–421.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1744259111423084

Glass, S. V. and TenWolde, A. 2009. Review of moisture balance models for residential indoor humidity. In Proceedings of the 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, Vol. 1, 231–245.

Guo, L. and Lewis, J. O. 2007. Carbon dioxide concentration and its application on estimating the air change rate in typical Irish houses. Int. J. Ventilation, 6(3), 235–245.

Hägerhed, L., Bornehag, C. G., Sundell, J., and the DBH-study group. 2002. Dampness in buildings and health (DBH). Buildings characteristics as predictors of “dampness” in Swedish dwellings. Proc. Indoor Air, V, 7–12.

Hens, H. L. S. C. 1999. Fungal defacement in buildings: a performance related approach. HVAC&R Research, 5(3), 265–280.

Hunt, D. R. G. and Gidman, M. I. 1982. A national field survey of house temperatures. Build. Environ., 17, 107–124.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0360-1323(82)90048-8

Husman, T., Roto, P., and Seuri, M. 2002. Sisäilmä ja terveys – tietoa rakentajille. Kansanterveyslaitos, Ympäristö­epidemiologian yksikkö Suomen Terveystalo Oy Kuopion aluetyöterveyslaitos, Työlääketiede, Kuopion yliopiston painatuskeskus.

Ilomets, S., Kuusk, K., Arumägi, E., Paap, L., and Kala­mees, T. 2014. Thermal bridges in energy efficiency of old apartment buildings. J. Civil Eng. Manage. http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2014.976259 (accessed 04.01.2015).

Janssen, H. 2013. Monte-Carlo based uncertainty analysis: sampling efficiency and sampling convergence. Reliab. Eng. Syst. Safe., 109, 123–132.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2012.08.003

Kalamees, T. 2011. Eesti eluasemefondi puitkorterelamute ehitustehniline seisukord ning prognoositav eluiga: uuringu lõpparuanne. Puitmajade raport [Technical condition and service life of Estonian wooden apartment buildings]. Tallinn Technical University Press.

Kalamees, T., Vinha, J., and Kurnitski, J. 2006. Indoor humidity loads and moisture production in lightweight timber-frame detached houses. J. Build. Phys., 29(3), 219–246.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1744259106060439

Klõšeiko, P., Agasild, T., and Kalamees, T. 2011. Deterior­ation of building envelope of wooden apartment build­ings built before 1940 based on external survey. In Proceedings of 9th Nordic Symposium on Building Physics – NSB 2011, Vol. 2, 917–924.

Mjörnell, K., Arfvidsson, J., and Sikander, E. 2012. A method for including moisture safety in the building process. Indoor Built Environ., 21, 583–594.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1420326X11428340

Nicol, F. and Stevenson, F. 2013. Adaptive comfort in an unpredictable world. Build. Res. Inf., 41, 255–258.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2013.783528

Oreszczyn, T., Ridley, I., Hong, S. H., and Wilkinson, P. 2006. Mould and winter indoor relative humidity in low income households in England. Indoor Built Environ., 15, 125–135.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1420326X06063051

Rode, C. and Grau, K. 2008. Moisture buffering and its con­sequence in whole building hygrothermal model­ing. J. Build. Phys., 31(4), 333–360.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1744259108088960

Sanders, C. 1996. IEA-Annex 24 HAMTIE, Final Report, Volume 2, Task 2: Environmental Conditions. Labo­rato­rium Boufysica, K.U.-Leuven, Belgium.

Singh, J. 2000. Allergic reactions, occupational hygiene. Health and Safety, February 2000, 14–16.

Singh, J., Yu, C. W. F., and Kim, J. T. 2010. Investigation of sick buildings – toxic moulds. Indoor Built Environ., 19, 40–47.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1420326X09358808

Su, B. 2002. A field study of mould growth and indoor health conditions in Auckland dwellings. Archit. Sci. Rev., 45(4), 275–284.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2002.9696941

Sundell, J., Levin, H., Nazaroff, W. W., Cain, W. S., Fisk, W. J., Grimsrud, D. T. et al. 2011. Ventilation rates and health: report of an interdisciplinary review of the scientific literature. Indoor Air, 21, 191–204.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2010.00703.x

Svennberg, K., Hedegaard, L., and Rode, C. 2004. Moisture buffer performance of a fully furnished room. In Pro­ceedings of IX International Conference on Per­formance of Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings. Clearwater, Florida, USA.

Wargocki, P., Sundell, J., Bischof, W., Brundrett, G., Fanger, P. O., Gyntelberg, F. et al. 2002. Ventilation and health in non-industrial indoor environments: report from European multidisciplinary scientific consensus meeting (EUROVEN). Indoor Air, 12, 113–128.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0668.2002.01145.x

[WHO] World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. 2009. WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould. http://www.who.int/ indoorair/publications/7989289041683/en/ (accessed 04.01.2015).

Zhang, H., Arens, E., and Pasut, W. 2011. Air temperature thresholds for indoor comfort and perceived air quality. Build. Res. Inf., 39, 134–144.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2011.552703

Zhao, J., Plagge, R., Nicolai, A., Grunewald, J., and Zhang, J. S. 2011. Stochastic study of hygrothermal performance of a wall assembly – the influence of material properties and boundary coefficients. HVAC&R Research, 17, 591–601.

Back to Issue