Also, cost effective materials and installation techniques for adding insulation to the walls of existing buildings are needed. Important examples of thermal bridges are the wall-window interface and structural members in frame buildings. In the latter case, it is becoming economically necessary to replace wood with steel structural members in residential construction, although the highly conductive steel causes a thermal bridge. Unless techniques to eliminate this thermal bridge are adopted, other efforts to improve the energy efficiency of new residential construction may be negated. Moisture Engineering Moisture engineering is an important area of near-term research that already has attracted a number of industry and government research efforts.
Water damage is the predominant cause of building deterioration.
These leaks lead to deck corrosion and wet, ineffective insulation. Mildew is common in many regions of the country, both from condensation of interior water and from migration of moisture through the envelope and condensation at interior surfaces. To address these problems, a high priority research need is the development of sensors for monitoring the movement of moisture in envelope systems. Validated computer simulation models are also needed to develop design strategies to avoid moisture problems, but accurate test data is lacking. Sensors are needed to validate and calibrate these models.