Department of Civil & Structural Engineering. Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta
Abstract
A good knowledge of technical features of existing building resources is necessary to improve their energetic performances. For this purpose the research analyses building systems and technologies and it identifies energetic problems and performances, proposing a critic evaluation of the possibilities of the intervention.
The research pays a special attention on moisture and condensation problems which can occur as a consequence of retrofitting interventions.
The impact of the planning decisions on moisture content and behaviour of the existing components with respect to building physics have to be taken into consideration when there are attempts to upgrade the building’s thermal performance of existing building to save energy.
The verification of moisture transfer is generally conducted using the standardised steady-state Glaser method. This standard calculation, considering only vapour diffusion transfer, fails to produce realistic results when handling with an interior thermal insulation because overestimates the possibility of condensation at the former inner surface of the wall and doesn’t consider the moisture storage potential of the component.
In this research an innovative simulation method is used; it is developed to perform more realistic and detailed simulation of the hygrothermal behaviour based on EN 15026:2008. The method allows to evaluate the real potential of interior thermal insulation on existing building components under natural conditions
