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A range of house and mechanical system types were evaluated, including standard building enclosures and cooling systems and high-performance building envelopes with enhanced cooling or supplemental … Read More

To vent, or not to vent…that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer  The slings and arrows of outrageous moisture, Or to take arms against them And by opposing end them.  To… Read More

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate . . .”1In what is turning out to be an unfortunate turn of phrase the terms “unvented attics” and “unvented roofs” have entered the lexicon. A lot of… Read More

Putting ductwork outside is bad enough, but putting ductwork in an attic is even worse (Photograph 1). Attics are even hotter than outside during the summer and as cold as the outside in the winter.… Read More

There.  I said it.  It just does not work.  OK, it works sometimes1.  But it does not work in tight building enclosures and certainly not in new houses, apartments, townhouses and row houses. … Read More

Adding outdoor air in hot humid climates causes moisture problems right? Sometimes. It depends on the condition of the house before you start to add outdoor air. Contrary to popular belief, most… Read More

Attics or roofs can be designed and constructed to be either vented or unvented in any hygro-thermal zone (Map 1). The choice of venting or not venting is a design and construction choice not a… Read More

This Insight is an excerpt from Armin Rudd's "Ventilation Guide." This publication can be ordered online from www.buildingsciencepress.com. Experience is a great teacher, but much bad experience can… Read More

This research is a test implementation of an unvented tile roof assembly in a hot-humid climate (Orlando, FL; Zone 2A), insulated with air permeable insulation (netted and blown fiberglass). Given… Read More

There are many existing buildings with load-bearing mass masonry walls, whose energy performance could be improved with the retrofit of insulation.  However, adding insulation to the interior side of… Read More