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To characterize outside air distribution in residential buildings, this paper develops a practical methodology adapted from ASHRAE Standard 129. The methodology includes the examination of multi-zone… Read More

Unvented cathedralized attic (UCA) assemblies, created by eliminating ventilation and by moving the thermal insulation and air barrier from the ceiling plane to the rafters, immediately below the… Read More

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

A hockey1 puck is 1 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter (Photograph 1). You can easily slip one into the airspace between a brick veneer and building paper. Now a single puck in an airspace like that… Read More

North of the Arctic Circle there are only two seasons—this winter and last winter. Who would ever want to live there? Being human, we can’t help ourselves. We’ve been there a long time. And, we are… Read More

As in most things gone horribly wrong, it is a bunch of seemingly small things that come together to create an almost unimaginable nightmare—in this case the “perfect stucco storm.”Unlike most water… 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