The Newcastle condensation survey

Abstract

The Housing Management Committee of the City of Newcastle wished to find some basis on which to establish priorities for remedial and up-grading work on existing houses. With the assistance of the Director of Housing three surveys were commissioned, two of which were specialist ones concentrating on over 600 dwellings sited in an area known to have condensation problems.

The first survey, a technical one, established the incidence of problems. The second was a general conditions survey to identify family living styles. The final survey was one section in the 1978 General Household Survey which asked about condensation problems throughout the whole of Newcastle. These surveys show that condensation troubles occur in over 30 per cent of all dwellings. Worst affected were private rented unfurnished accommodation (49 per cent) with Local Authority tenants and private rented furnished dwellings similar at 41 per cent and 40 per cent respectively. Owner occupiers reported dampness in only 14 per cent of their houses. Recorded temperatures were much lower than expected and the total use of energy was less than half that required to meet the notional energy demand. The two key factors influencing dampness were house design and family size. Better insulated houses and sheltered houses such as an intermediate location in a terrace had much less dampness. The incidence of condensation increased with family size and with the presence of children. Knowledge of the empirical relations between occupancy, house type, heating and the incidence of condensation problems enabled remedial work to be more positively ranked.