Are All Attics Vented

Ductwork interior to thermal and pressure boundary.

Are all attics vented.

If you walk down to your local lumberyard and lean on the counter the employees and nearby customers will offer a variety of opinions about why attics need to be vented. With this experience comes the knowledge of the benefits of vented and unvented attics. Unfortunately it s highly unlikely that the statements you hear will be true. We are on a mission to give homeowners all of the information they need to make the best decision for their home s insulation needs.

One static vent style is the turbine vent which uses wind to power its enclosed fan all it takes is a light breeze to rotate the blades and suck heat out of the attic view example on the home. The most energy efficient attics are insulated and ventilated. Most homeowners and builders believe that attics should be vented. In all climates this leads to thermal penalties increased energy consumption in the order of 20 percent of the total space conditioning load rudd and lstiburek 1997.

As part of that mission below i will discuss the vented attic system and the unvented attic system as well as the pros and. On older houses attics may be ventilated only with louvered vents at the tops of gable ends walls although it s usually more effective to use these in conjunction with soffit vents.