Hygrothermal Analysis of Mineral Wool Insulated Building Constructions Based on <i>In Situ</i> Measurements

Abstract

The paper discusses an experimental hygrothermal analysis of differently constructed additional mineral wool wall and attic insulation of a family house in Hajdúnánás, Hungary. The walls of the building were insulated in two different ways: half of the façade was insulated with Knauf stone mineral wool insulation boards glued to the walls in a continuous mortar bed as recommended, and on the other side of the same façade, the boards were glued only with patches of mortar. In the attic of the same building, one part of the attic was insulated by using Knauf glass mineral wool insulation batts along with vapour permeable underlay membrane as recommended, while the other part was constructed without underlay. Temperature and relative humidity sensors were placed between the layers and heat flux sensors were installed on the internal surfaces of the two differently constructed wall and attic insulations. An external meteorological station was installed on an unused chimney of the building. Besides the structural sensors, temperature and relative humidity sensors were installed in each room, and the energy consumption of the building was also monitored during the measurements. For control values, we monitored the internal hygrothermal conditions and the energy consumption of an identical but uninsulated family house only 8 km away in Hajdúdorog, Hungary. In the article, we analyze the heat and moisture transport through the building constructions and the energy consumption of the family house according to the recorded data of a full heating season.