![]() Innovative solutions are needed to make the moisture durability assessment process more affordable, more accessible, and widely available. Moisture durability prediction tools commonly require expert input or destructive methods. When an envelope is made more airtight, the susceptibility to moisture damage increases 14 therefore, remediation efforts should be accompanied by analysis or evaluation to predict if moisture durability will be a concern. Innovative solutions are required to improve both the process of finding and sealing air leakage. Sealing of air leaks is commonly performed manually using sealant. ![]() To evaluate and remediate air leakage issues, a blower door test is often used to pressurize the building and search for air leaks, 13 which is time consuming and requires specialized equipment. Remediation techniques to improve the quality and performance of the building envelope vary in effectiveness, affordability, and accessibility. For some individuals and families, temporary relocation is often not a possibility due to limited resources remediation strategies are often delayed, sometimes indefinitely. 12 To increase energy efficiency and address energy burden, innovative solutions must be developed that provide access to energy-efficient, cost-effective, and accessible building envelopes.Ĭommon remediation strategies to improve the building envelope performance of existing buildings require that occupants leave their homes for days or weeks while the envelope is tested, sealed, or rebuilt. 11 Lower income households are disproportionally impacted by energy burden-households that make $15,000 or less per year spent on average 21% of their income on utilities and may forgo other life necessities in order to address issues with the envelope. 10 A person is considered energy burdened if they spend 6% or more of their annual income on energy costs. Energy burden is the percentage of a household’s gross annual income spent on energy costs (including electricity, natural gas, and other home-heating fuels). In some cases, the building owner may have a high energy burden and may not have the resources to improve the quality of the building envelope to lower energy consumption. buildings are remediated each year 8 to improve the energy efficiency, primarily because the cost to retrofit commonly exceeds several thousand dollars 9 and often falls entirely on the building owner. More than 50% of existing residential buildings in the United States were built before 1980 when energy conservation codes were first introduced, 7 and they lack modern efficient technologies that effectively control the flow of matter and energy. While new building construction can easily benefit from novel technologies and methods, many of these control methods can be difficult, cost-inhibitive, or sometimes even impossible to implement into existing buildings. The flow of heat is controlled using insulation and solar reflectance. The flow of air is typically controlled using air-resistive barriers and air sealing techniques. 5 The flow of moisture (both liquid water and vapor) is typically controlled using water-resistive barriers, ventilation air gaps, and drainage planes. ![]() ![]() ![]() 4 Failure to control this flow can cause reductions in energy efficiency, durability issues, decrease in occupant comfort, and reduced indoor air quality, which can lead to mold and cause significant health issues. One of the primary functions of the building envelope is to control the flow of matter and energy-specifically, the flow of moisture, air, and heat between the interior and exterior. 2 The performance of the building envelope disproportionally affects communities that lack the resources to improve the quality of the building envelope through remediation techniques. 1 Nearly 60% of total residential building energy is used to provide occupant comfort by heating, cooling, and ventilating the living space. The building envelope-consisting of the walls, roof, foundation, and windows-separates the interior living conditions from the exterior weather and is the single largest contributor to primary energy use in residential buildings. In the heat of summer, does your air conditioner seem to run all the time? In winter, do cold drafts in your house make it impossible to get comfortable? Your house may be energy inefficient due to the performance of the building envelope. ![]()
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