Conversion of unheated basements and the conditioning of their indoor climate

Abstract

This paper deals with unheated basements in existing buildings. Due to soaring housing prices these rooms may be increasingly used for the storage of sensitive goods and temporarily for leisure activities. In order to keep these rooms free of mould various technical solutions are available. However, it is unclear whether they prevent mould growth and how high their energy demand is. This question is explored by simulating an unheated basement in an uninsulated, a renovated and a newly built building. The paper considers and evalueates four different operation modes for the basement.