With ever-more-stringent energy code requirements, along with a growing consumer and industry interest in green and energy-efficient homes, it’s important to understand how these very tight high-performance home systems deal with moisture. To this end, Home Innovation Research Labs is soliciting qualified builders of new homes (no remodels or additions) to participate in a field-monitoring study designed to better understand the moisture performance of high-R wall systems.
In the study, sensors will be installed in walls to measure the moisture content of wood frame materials as well as relative humidity and temperature. The study will focus on wall systems with R-values of 20 and higher in airtight, high-performance homes in Climate Zone 4 or higher. The results will provide valuable real-life data on the long-term performance of walls constructed using energy-efficient practices.
There is no cost to participate, all instrumentation will be provided, and builder names will not be disclosed in the final report (all sites will be reported only by general geographical location). Participating builders can submit multiple homes for the study. Instrumentation will take place in the spring and summer of this year; monitoring will continue at least until summer 2017.
Study Responsibilities:
Builder
- Install all sensors and data acquisition module per instructions provided by Home Innovation
- Communicate with homeowner(s) as needed
- Provide building plans to Home Innovation prior to construction (plans will not be shared)
- Complete a Design and Construction Documentation Form for each home selected
- Provide results of a blower door test
- Execute an MOU with Home Innovation outlining basic roles and responsibilities
Home Innovation Research Labs
- Provide all sensors, hardware, and installation instructions
- Provide locations for installation of sensors on the building plans
- Provide technical support, via phone, to assist with sensor installation or other questions
- Acquire data remotely
- Analyze the acquired data and report results
- Do not disclose the name of the builder or exact location of site, unless requested by that builder
If you’re interested in participating by submitting your home(s) for this study, visit www.homeinnovation.com/moisturestudy to complete the application form.
