Hygrothermal simulations of internally insulated massive masonry walls exposed to driving rain in cold climate

In order to lower energy consumption and improve indoor climate conditions interior insulation retrofitting of massive masonry buildings with protected exterior facades has become needed. As a way to investigate the hygrothermal performance of such walls, a range of simulations have been conducted using software for heat and moisture transport. The impact of driving rain in cold climate lacks much attention in previous studies described in the literature, and therefore this has been given extra concern in the present work. By varying parameters such as, location, wall orientation, short wave radiation, insulation material, vapor barrier solution and indoor moisture load, the effect on the relative humidity in the interior insulation has been investigated. Results show that the amount of driving rain accessing the wall plays an imperative role, making the performance of the wall especially sensitive to location and orientation.