17 October 2023
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The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and Mitsubishi Electric have launched a new guide exploring how to tackle damp and mould in UK homes.
Mould and Damp Prevention in New and Existing Homes is designed to educate landlords, tenants and homeowners about how to tackle damp and mould at source, and provides a series of straightforward steps they can take to improve the indoor environment.
A survey of more than 2,000 UK homeowners has found that more than half have experienced serious problems with indoor air quality (IAQ) and poor ventilation leading to condensation, mould, and damp.
The guide has been designed to educate landlords, tenants and homeowners about how they can tackle the problems of damp and mould at source, with straightforward steps and advice to help improve the indoor environment. It also covers four steps to creating mould-free homes, including:
1. Tackle sources of dampness around the building
2. Improve ventilation
3. Improve heating.
4. Make a home that people can live in
BESA is urging local authorities, housing associations and other housing providers to make ventilation upgrades a key part of retrofit and refurbishment programmes. With up to £80 million of government funding being made available to social housing tenants to make their homes more energy efficient, the association said this was an opportunity to take an ‘all round approach’ to tackling poor quality housing.
“There must be more joined up thinking to ensure addressing IAQ and condensation issues is factored in when insulation and other energy efficiency measures are upgraded,” said BESA technical director Graeme Fox. “We can, and we must, tackle mould and damp alongside the push for net zero carbon.”
“We already have the tools and techniques to make improvements that could save people’s lives and make their homes a better place to live,” said Oliver Collins, Channel Marketing Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, “We’re proud to launch this guide alongside BESA, highlighting how challenges with damp and mould can be tackled and offering practical steps to do just that.”
