ASHRAE 160-2016

ASHRAE Standard 160 specifies performance-based design criteria for predicting, mitigating, or reducing moisture damage to the building envelope, materials, components, systems, and furnishings, depending on climate, construction type, and HVAC system operation. The 2016 revision to Standard 160 incorporates a number of changes focused ona. simplifying the conditions necessary to minimize mold growth by eliminating two criteria,b. limiting indoor relative humidity to 70% or less in the design analysis and revising the residential design moisture generation rates,c. simplifying the calculation procedure for wind-driven rain without significantly impacting the accuracy of results, d. updating references, and e. replacing the simplified mold growth criterion with a mold index that predicts risk, which is more consistent with assembly performance observed in the field.The revised standard reflects the current state of knowledge about mold growth while providing less stringent criterion.