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Article

Navigating Energy Efficiency and Mould Risk in Australian Low-Rise Homes: A Comparative Analysis of Nine External Wall Systems in Southeast Australia

by
Liqun Guan
1,*,
Mark Dewsbury
1,
Louise Wallis
1 and
Hartwig Kuenzel
2
1
School of Architecture and Design, University of Tasmania, Inveresk, Launceston 7250, Australia
2
Department Hygrothermics, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, Fraunhoferstr. 10, 83626 Valley, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2025, 18(11), 2843; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112843
Submission received: 26 March 2025 / Revised: 22 May 2025 / Accepted: 27 May 2025 / Published: 29 May 2025

Abstract

As energy-efficient buildings become central to climate change mitigation, the opportunity for interior and interstitial moisture accumulation and mould growth can increase. This study investigated the potential simulation-based mould growth risks associated with the current generation of insulated low-rise timber framed external wall systems within southeastern Australia. More than 8000 hygrothermal and bio-hygrothermal simulations were completed to evaluate seasonal moisture patterns and calculate mould growth potential for nine typical external wall systems. Results reveal that the combination of increased thermal insulation and air-tightness measures between the 2010 and 2022 specified building envelope energy efficiency regulations further increased predicted Mould Index values, particularly in cool-temperate climates. This was in part due to insufficient moisture management requirements, like an air space between the cladding and the weather resistive layer and/or the low-water vapour permeability of exterior weather resistive pliable membranes. By contrast, warmer temperate climates and drier cool-temperate climates exhibit consistently lower calculated Mould Index values. Despite the 2022 requirement for a greater water vapour-permeance of exterior pliable membranes, the external walls systems explored in this research had a higher calculated Mould Index than the 2010 regulatory compliant external wall systems. Lower air change rates significantly increased calculated interstitial mould growth risk, while the use of interior vapour control membranes proved effective in its mitigation for most external wall systems. The addition of ventilated cavity in combination with either or both an interior vapour control membrane and a highly vapour-permeable exterior pliable membranes further reduced risk. The findings underscore the need for tailored, climate-responsive design interventions to minimise surface and interstitial mould growth risk and building durability, whilst achieving high performance external wall systems.
Keywords: energy efficient housing; moisture accumulation; hygrothermal simulation; mould growth simulation; mould index energy efficient housing; moisture accumulation; hygrothermal simulation; mould growth simulation; mould index

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MDPI and ACS Style

Guan, L.; Dewsbury, M.; Wallis, L.; Kuenzel, H. Navigating Energy Efficiency and Mould Risk in Australian Low-Rise Homes: A Comparative Analysis of Nine External Wall Systems in Southeast Australia. Energies 2025, 18, 2843. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112843

AMA Style

Guan L, Dewsbury M, Wallis L, Kuenzel H. Navigating Energy Efficiency and Mould Risk in Australian Low-Rise Homes: A Comparative Analysis of Nine External Wall Systems in Southeast Australia. Energies. 2025; 18(11):2843. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112843

Chicago/Turabian Style

Guan, Liqun, Mark Dewsbury, Louise Wallis, and Hartwig Kuenzel. 2025. "Navigating Energy Efficiency and Mould Risk in Australian Low-Rise Homes: A Comparative Analysis of Nine External Wall Systems in Southeast Australia" Energies 18, no. 11: 2843. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112843

APA Style

Guan, L., Dewsbury, M., Wallis, L., & Kuenzel, H. (2025). Navigating Energy Efficiency and Mould Risk in Australian Low-Rise Homes: A Comparative Analysis of Nine External Wall Systems in Southeast Australia. Energies, 18(11), 2843. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112843

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