The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will pair up with A&E firm Steven Winter Associates Inc. to gather temperature and humidity data in more than 50 homes across the country.

Concerned about the impact that relative humidity has on a building’s performance, theU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentwill pair up with A&E firm Steven Winter Associates Inc. to gather temperature and humidity data in more than 50 homes across the country.

Three different regions are being targeted for the study – the warm, humid southeast; the cold northeast; and the Pacific Northwest. Household characteristic data will also be collected during the initial site-visit to the home, including occupancy levels, insulation levels, equipment efficiencies, envelope leakage and duct leakage.

The data collected from this study will support efforts already underway by theASHRAEStandard Committee 160P on “Design Criteria for Preventing Moisture Damage in Buildings” and others to develop moisture modeling tools and related technical standards. These models and standards will help improve a home’s performance by minimizing conditions associated with high moisture levels.

Test homes for this study are currently being identified, and most initial site visits and data logger installations should be complete by the beginning of this summer.