Estonian Climate Analysis for Selecting Moisture Reference Years for Hygrothermal Calculations

The purpose of the study was to determine the hygrothermally critical climatic conditions, to assess the heat and moisture performance of building envelope systems, and to design buildings for a longer service life. Estonian climate data have been analyzed based on six weather stations over a 30-year period, from 1970 to 2000. Ten percent-level critical reference years for hygrothermal calculation, for two moisture performance criteria, risk of water vapor condensation and mould growth, have been determined. Air temperature and relative humidity was used for climatic data.