Moisture capacity of log houses can improve the indoor climate conditions

The hygroscopic capacity of timber can significantly improve the indoor conditions in log houses. Relative humidity of indoor air is, along with air and surface temperatures, a key factor for thermal comfort and also for perceived indoor air quality. The ability of timber to store moisture during indoor load periods and to release it back to the indoor air during unoccupied periods makes it possible to smooth down the indoor relative humidity variations by passive, structural means. This paper presents the numerical simulations carried out to study the effect of this moisture buffering effect in log houses compared to houses without available hygroscopic material