Case studies: condensation

A damp home with high heating bills, condensation and mould.

The Home Improvement Advisory Service was approached by the headmaster of a school in Leeds to address damp and condensation problems in their caretaker’s bungalow. The property was suffering from a very severe case of condensation, with black mould and damp areas on most walls. It was also very poorly insulated, so heat loss was a significant problem with high fuel bills being a major concern.

Following a thorough assessment of the property, a comprehensive energy audit and survey, it was evident that the home was very damp. We identified a number of areas that needed immediate attention.

Our recommendations.

We recommended a number of measures to improve the insulation in the property and to reduce the air humidity. By addressing both of these areas we were confident that now only would there be a significant reduction in heating costs, but that the air circulation would be improved thereby removing the source of the mould forming on the walls, and improving the air quality in the dwelling.

Our recommendations were accepted and we implemented the measures using approved local trades-people. These ranged from simple and easy to implement advice (e.g. clearing sub-floor ventilation bricks) to more sophisticated damp control measures.

As part of our damp survey we had noticed a number of defects at the property which we were able to resolve in tandem with the work to address the damp and high heating costs.

For further information on solutions for damp homes, advice on energy efficient homes, or home insulation grants please contact us.