As unvented attics have become a more common design feature implemented by Building America partners in hot-dry climates of the United States, more attention has been focused on how this approach affects heating and cooling energy consumption. By eliminating the ridge and eave vents that circulate outside air through the attic in most new houses and by moving the insulation from the attic floor to the underside of the roof, an unvented attic becomes a semiconditioned space, creating a more benign environment for space conditioning ducts. An energy trade-off is made, however, because the additional surface area (and perhaps reduced insulation thickness) increases the building loss coefficient. Other advantages and disadvantages, unrelated to energy, must also be considered. This paper addresses the energy-related effects of unvented attics in hot-dry climates based on field testing and analysis conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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Thermal Performance of Unvented Attics in Hot-Dry Climates: Results from Building America
Robert Hendron,
Robert Hendron
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393
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Sara Farrar-Nagy,
Sara Farrar-Nagy
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393
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Ren Anderson,
Ren Anderson
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393
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Paul Reeves,
Paul Reeves
Partnership for Resource Conservation, 1221 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
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Ed Hancock
Ed Hancock
Mountain Energy Partnership, 815 Alpine Ave, #6 Boulder, CO 80304
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Robert Hendron
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393
Sara Farrar-Nagy
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393
Ren Anderson
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401-3393
Paul Reeves
Partnership for Resource Conservation, 1221 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Ed Hancock
Mountain Energy Partnership, 815 Alpine Ave, #6 Boulder, CO 80304
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS for publication in the ASME JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the ASME Solar Energy Division, May 2003; final revision, August 2003. Associate Editor: M. Krarti.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2004, 126(2): 732-737 (6 pages)
Published Online: May 4, 2004
Article history
Received:
May 1, 2003
Revised:
August 1, 2003
Online:
May 4, 2004
Citation
Hendron , R., Farrar-Nagy , S., Anderson, R., Reeves, P., and Hancock, E. (May 4, 2004). "Thermal Performance of Unvented Attics in Hot-Dry Climates: Results from Building America ." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2004; 126(2): 732–737. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1687795
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