Abstract: Sealed attic construction, by excluding vents to the exterior, can be a good way to exclude moisture-laden outside air from attics and may offer a more easily constructed alternative for air leakage control at the top of residential buildings. However, the space conditioning energy use and roof temperature implications of this approach have not been extensively studied. A computer modeling study (Rudd 1996) was performed to determine the effects of sealed residential attics in hot climates on space conditioning energy use and roof temperatures. The one-dimensional, finite element computer model (FSEC 1992) contained an attic model developed and validated by Parker et al. (1991). Empirical modifications were made to the attic model to provide better alignment with measured ceiling heat flux reductions of ventilated attics with respect to sealed attics for summer peak days from three roof research facilities. Annual and peak cooling day simulations were made for the Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada, climates, using a 139 m{sup 2} (1500 ft{sup 2}) slab-on-grade ranch style house with wood frame construction. Results showed that, when compared to typically vented attics with the air distribution ducts present, sealed cathedralized attics (i.e., sealed attic with the air barrier and thermal barriermore » [insulation] at the sloped roof plane) can be constructed without an associated energy penalty in hot climates.« less

Abstract: Residential air-conditioning systems are considered essential in many parts of the United States. These products should be selected based on a comparison of the estimated heat gain to the manufacturer's performance specifications. The selected air conditioners should then be installed to the manu- facturer's specifications. The reality departs significantly from this scenario. In the end, air conditioners are selected and installed under field conditions that degrade perfor- mance.This study examines three measured factors that affect performance: cooling load, capacity, and attic temperatures. These results were obtained from four intensively monitored, new single-family homes in Phoenix, Arizona. This study found that the most widely accepted sensible heat gain calculation, applied without "safety" factors, over- estimated the sensible heat gain for these homes by approxi- mately 50%. Two of the five air conditioners had sensible capacities significantly below specifications. Both air conditioners with deficient capacity had low airflow and one was seriously undercharged. Attic temperatures are critical in forced-air distribution efficiency when the ducts are in the attics. On these homes, attic temperatures at peak ranged from 28°F (16°C) to 4°F (2°C) above outside temperatures.

Abstract: This paper describes a transient heat and mass transfer model of residential attics. The model is used to predict hourly ceiling heat gain/loss in residences with the purpose of estimating reductions in cooling and heating loads produced by radiant barriers. The model accounts for transient conduction, convection, and radiation and incorporates moisture and air transport across the attic. Environmental variables, such as solar loads on outer attic surfaces and sky temperatures, are also estimated. The model is driven by hourly weather data which include: outdoor dry bulb air temperature, horizontal solar and sky radiation, wind speed and direction, relative humidity (or dew point), and cloud cover data. The output of the model includes ceiling heat fluxes, inner and outer heat fluxes from all surfaces, inner and outer surface temperatures, and attic dry bulb air temperatures. The calculated fluxes have been compared to experimental data of side-by-side testing of attics retrofit with radiant barriers. The model predicts ceiling heat flows with an error of less than ten percent for most cases.

Abstract: A metallic or hard plastic storage shelf including four vertical rods provided at each corner of one or more shelves, with the upper ends of the vertical rods including fasteners for direct securement of the storage rack to a pair of routinely spaced apart rafters, as located within a garage, attic, manufacturing plant, machine shop, or the like.

Abstract: ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 6 1.0 Introduction ............... ...... .............. ... ............ ............... .................................................. .................. 11 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................... 11 1.2 Project Objective ......... ..... ........... ....................................................... ... ........ ......... ............... 11 1.3 Methodology... .......... .......... ........ ......................... ........................... .... ......... ......... ..... ...... ..... 11 2.0 Residential Building Model .......................................................................................................... :. 11 3.0 Data Analysis and Results ............................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Simulated Annual Cooling and Heating Energy Use ........................................................... 14 3.2 Regression Analysis .............................................................................................................. 33 3.3 Equivalent Cool-Roof Attic Insulation R-Values ................................................................. 33 4.0 Conclusion ........................ ......................... ....... ....... ........ ........... ............. ....... ......... ...... ..... ...... ...... 44 References ..................................................................................................................................... ........ 46 Appendix A Plots of Simulation Estimated Annual Total Cooling and Heating Energy Use ........... 47 Appendix B Regression Statistics.... ............. ......................................... ...... ......... .............................. 64

Abstract: A computer program was developed and used to implement the model described on Part I of this paper. The program used an iterative process to predict temperatures and heat fluxes using linear algebra principles. The results from the program were compared to experimental data collected during a three-year period. The model simulated different conditions such as variations in attic ventilation, variations in attic ceiling insulation, and different radiant barrier orientations for summer and winter seasons. It was observed that the model predicted with an error of less than ten percent for most cases. This paper presents model results for nonradiant barrier cases as well as cases for radiant barriers installed horizontally on top of the attic floor (HRB) and for radiant barriers stapled to the attic rafters (TRB). Savings produced by radiant barriers and sensitivity analyses are also presented. The model results supported the experimental trend that emissivity was the single most significant parameter that affected the performance of radiant barriers.

Abstract: A simple duct system was installed in an attic test module for a large scale climate simulator at a US national laboratory The goal of the tests and subsequent modeling was to develop an accurate method of assessing duct system performance in the laboratory, enabling limiting conditions to be imposed at will and results to be applied to residential attics with attic duct systems Steady-state tests were done at a severe summer and a mild winter condition In all tests the roof surface was heated above ambient air temperatures by infrared lights The attic test module first included then did not include the duct system Attic ventilation from eave vents to a ridge vent was varied from none to values achievable by a high level of power ventilation A radiant barrier was attached to the underside of the roof deck, both with and without the duct system in place Tests were also done without the radiant barrier, both with and without the duct system When installed, the insulated ducts ran along the floor of the attic, just above the attic insulation and along the edge of the attic near the eaves and one gable These tests in a climate simulator achieved careful control and reproducibility of conditions This elucidated dependencies that would otherwise be hidden by variations in uncontrolled variables Based on the comparisons with the results of the tests at the mild winter condition and the severe summer condition, model predictions for attic air and insulation temperatures should be accurate within {+-} 10 F ({+-} 6 C) This is judged adequate for design purposes and could be better when exploring the effect of changes in attic and duct parameters at fixed climatic conditions

Abstract: THIS PAPER. DESCRIBES the results of measurements of temperature and relative humidity in six different attics (roof spaces) under controlled conditions.All six attics have the same dimensions and have been constructed adjacent to each other in a single lme, but with different insulating materials and ventilated in different ways. Using this fund of measured data, a number of researchers have attempted to apply their mathematical models and, starting from the basis of measured ambient climatic conditions, have calculated expected values of temperature, relative humidity, and, in one case, the moisture ratio in the attics. The results of these calculations showed difficulties in matching the performance of the models to real conditions. Summarising the measurements and the calculations, we can note that:

Abstract: A small commercial building was monitored before and after energy-saving retrofits to study the impact of retrofits upon ventilation rates, humidity, building pressure, and air-conditioning energy use. Duct airtightness testing identified severe duct leakage as a significant source of uncontrolled airflow. Differential pressure and infiltration measurements using tracer gas indicated an attic exhaust fan as another significant source of uncontrolled airflow. Duct repair resulted in a 31% drop (30.5 kWh/day) in cooling energy and an increase in relative humidity from 72% to 76%. Turning off the attic exhaust resulted in an additional 36% energy savings (14.3 kWh/day), including fan power, and a decrease in relative humidity from 76% to 58%. Turning off the attic exhaust fan also significantly reduced the ventilation rate in the building by about 62% from pre-retrofit ventilation measurements. The study of this building before and after retrofits illustrates the impacts that air leakage can have on light commercial buildings with nonairtight ceilings, the importance of using good diagnostics to discover all sources of uncontrolled airflow in buildings, and the importance in understanding what the duct zone environment is like in small commercial construction.

Abstract: A housing for a television receiver satellite dish has a roof and side walls which form a structure which is attached to the roof of a building. The structure accommodates a television receiver satellite dish. The side walls are made of a radio-frequency transparent material so that reception of the television receiver is not impaired. The structure is further designed to fit over a roof ventilating fan, and has openings in its side walls to allow vented air to escape. The device provides an attractive housing which protects the television receiver satellite dish, and provides roof and attic ventilation for the building.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a roof portion of which the temperature tends to increase due to direct sunlight, to be used efficiently as a housing for many capacitors in a vehicle having the capacitors used for a motor for driving the vehicle and its power source. SOLUTION: A housing 13 with a prescribed capacity is defined at the attic of a vehicle room to contain many capacitors 6 therein. The housing 13 is provided with an inlet port where intakes of outside air are formed, fans 18 for forcedly introducing the outside air to the housing 13, and an outlet for exhausting the air in the housing 13 to the outside. Solar cells 24 are mounted on a roof as a power source for the fans 18. A means 22 for controlling the drive of the fans 18 is provided so as to keep the atmospheric temperature of the capacitors 6 under a specified value.

Abstract: This report summarizes a comparative analysis of the impact of roof surface solar absorptance, attic, and duct insulation on simulated residential annual cooling and heating energy use in sixteen sunbelt climates. These locations cover a wide range of climates where cool roofs are expected to save energy and money, and are areas with high growth rates in new residential construction. The residences are single-story, single-family of new construction with either a gas furnace or an electric heat pump, and with ducts in the attic OT conditioned zone. The objective is to demonstrate that a residence with a cool roof could utilize a lower level of attic insulation than one with a dark roof with a zero net change in the annual energy bill. Annual energy use is simulated with DOE-2. lE, which was adapted with a validated residential duct-attic function, for dark and cool roofs and eleven attic insulation R-values ranging from 1 through 60. Analysis of the simulated energy savings from the light-colored roofs show that the savings can be transformed into an equivalent reduction in the level of attic insulation. Reductions in R-value are observed in varying degrees for residences with both gas and electric heat, all duct configurations, and all climates. In some cooling dominated climates there are cases where a cool roof could be implemented without attic insulation.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ventilating roof structure excellent in ventilation efficiency and work efficiency of an attic space of a building at a low cost and ventilating tile battens used therefor SOLUTION: The ventilating roof structure and ventilating tile battens 1 are so constituted that a long and parallel ventilation hole 12 is formed in a roof boarding 11 on a roof along a ridge 10, tile battens 1 form a plurality of venting holes 6 on the longitudinal side of long sideways tile battens, a venting space 8 is so formed in the lower surface along the longitudinal direction that it is connected to the venting holes 6, the venting space 8 of the ventilating tile battens 1 are connected to the ventilation hole 12 of the roof boarding 11 to fix the ventilating tile battens 1 on the roof boarding 11 and that hot air of an attic space is exhaused to the outside from the venting holes 6 through the ventilation hole 12 and venting space 8

Abstract: This study established a research facility where airflow velocities, temperature, and differential pressures could be measured at the ridge of an attic. Following the construction of a test building, sensors were constructed, calibrated, and installed inside the attic. Paired tests were performed for three different ridge vent treatments; two were rolled type vents and one was a baffled vent. When both attics were fitted with the same ridge vent, the airspeed and differential pressure profiles at the ridge were very similar for both attics, indicating that any observed differences in airspeed and differential pressure were caused by the ridge vent treatment used. The baffled vent and rolled vents were then installed on the ridge of the west and east attics, respectively. The data demonstrated that the baffled ridge vent provided a minimum of twice the ridge airspeed of the rolled vents, when all wind conditions were considered. On the day selected to study the direction of the airflows at the ridge, the baffled vent had airflow speeds at the ridge similar to the rolled vent without fabric backing. The baffled vent allowed air to come out of the attic through both sides of the ridge (negative differential pressures on bothmore » sides), while the rolled vent without fabric backing caused air to enter through the south side of the ridge and exit through the north side (positive differential pressure on the south side and negative differential pressure on the north), in effect short-circuiting the vent. The fabric-backed rolled vent allowed attic air to come out of the attic through both sides of the ridge, as did the baffled vent, but the airspeed was slower. The baffled vent was the one with the highest airspeed at the ridge and also had both sides of the vent under negative differential pressure, providing the most effective ventilation.« less

Abstract: A computer simulation showed that an attic radiant barrier system (RBS) (a commercial product laminated to the underside of the roof sheathing) significantly reduces cooling load requirements in hot desert climates. This reduction was due to both a reduction in sensible heat transfer through the ceiling and an even greater reduction in losses (heat pickup) by the HVAC ducting system in the attic. These reductions were around 16% in runtime over the daytime hours and an overall 9% reduction over a five-day period. This latter effect indicates the need to improve current duct-loss calculation methods.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure strength and rigidity of a roof by fitting a cover body to a vent hole of a sheathing roof board, communicating a ventilating hole of the cover body and the vent hole with each other, and discharging indoor air by passing through a clearance between roof tiles and the ventilating hole of the cover body through the ceiling. SOLUTION: A lower part of a cover body 3 is installed on a sheathing roof board in a condition of being fitted to a vent hole of a sheathing roof board, and screw holes are bored in the four corners of a base board 2, and are screw-fiited to the sheathing roof board. In this case, after an waterproof coating is performed on a joining part of a screw part and sheathing roof felt, a waterproof effect, durability, corroding or the like are effectively prevented. A ventilating hole 7 of the cover body 3 and the vent hole of the sheathing roof board are communicated with each other, and a lower part of the cover body 3 is put in a blow-by condition, and its upper surface part is made solid. Therefore, air in a house rises downward direction of a roof tile, and the air is discharged outside by passing through the vent hole from its clearance. Therefore, moisture and intensification of heat of an attice are prevented, and a temperature rise in the house is prevented, and corrosion of the sheathing roof board and a rafter or the like can be prevented.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate ventilation of a second floor of a low airtightness dwelling by providing an air supply opening in an outer wall of each room of a ground floor, providing a ventilation opening communicating with a vertical hole part, a suction grill in a ceiling of the vertical hole part and providing an exhaust chamber in an attic space above the suction grill, a ventilation opening in a roof and a ventilation chamber below the ventilation opening. SOLUTION: Each room of a ground floor is provided with an air supply opening 1 for taking in outdoor fresh air, and a clearance is provided at a bottom end of a door as a ventilation opening 4 in order to assure a ventilation passage from each room to a vertical hole part. Further, a suction grill 5, an exhaust grill 2 and an exhaust chamber 6 are provided respectively in a ceiling of the vertical hole part, a ceiling of a second floor and an attic space, and are connected with each other. The exhaust chamber 6 and the exhaust grill 2 in the ceiling of the second floor are connected with a duct 9, the exhaust chamber 6 is connected to the duct 9 toward a ridge of a roof, and a ventilation chamber 8 is attached to an end of the duct. A ridge of the roof is provided with a ventilation opening 7, and the exhaust chamber 6, the duct 9, the ventilation chamber 8 and the ventilation opening 7 constitutes a ventilation passage passing from each room through the vertical hole part or a second floor room to the ridge.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a simple system ventilator for a residence. SOLUTION: A residence 10 has living spaces 1 and 2, an attic space 5 provided in the upper part of the living spaces 1 and 2, and an underfloor space 8 provided in the lower part of the living spaces 1 and 2. Air is supplied to the living spaces 1 and 2 from outside the residence 10. The supplied air is fed to the attic space 5 and then supplied to the living spaces 1 and 2. The supplied air is fed to the underfllow space 8 from the living spaces 1 and 2 and then exhausted outside the residence 10. COPYRIGHT: (C)2000,JPO

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solar battery generating device capable of facilitating the execution, maintenance and inspection without restricting any living space by connector and invertor. SOLUTION: A connector 12 for gathering output from a plurality of solar battery panels 11 arranged to the surface of a sloped roof 21 of a building 20 is installed in an attic space 27 inside the sloped roof 21 and, at the same time, an invertor 13 converting the output gathered at the connector 12 from direct current into alternating current is installed in a storage space 25 provided to the inside of the building 20. By the constitution, since the connector 12 and the invertor 13 are installed inside the building 20, the execution, maintenance and inspection can be facilitated, and a living space in the building 20 can not be restricted by the connector 12 and the invertor 13.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent hot wind and flame from easily invading to the inside or being discharged to the outside of a house at the time of fire in a ventilation ridge provided at the top part of a building. SOLUTION: In this ventilation structure, the ventilation ridge 3 is provided at the top of a roof 1, a ventilation air path leads to an attic inside the house and to the outside is formed in the ventilation ridge 3 and a lower part damper 10 and an upper part damper 11 which are respectively provided with a ventilation opening are laminated and combinated so as to be freely sliding possible. Moreover, a pulling spring fitted between them and a temp. fuse are constituted by providing a fire preventing damper 9 which automatically closes the ventilation openings of the upper and lower part dampers 10 and 11 by high temp. at the time of fier in the ventilation air path 8.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a simple transportation work by forming a main house unit out of main house lower components made of a frame body, and a main house upper components placed on and secured to the upper surface of one main house lower component or a plurality of main house lower components arrayed in a row. SOLUTION: A main house unit 4 is formed out of main house lower components 2 made of a frame body assembled using a wooden frame material, a metallic frame material or the like, as well as long-sized main house upper components 3. In addition, trusses 15 are placed and secured between the upper ends of the main house unit 4, and the ends of corner ridge materials 17 are jointed and secured to the trusses 15 and ridge beam units 16. The corner ridge materials 17 are thereby jointed to the main house upper components 3 of the main house unit 14. Furthermore, the corner ridge materials 17 are placed on and jointed to beams 7 positioned outside a building, and a roof component 6 such as a rafter and a roof panel is held on the roof trusses, and an attic room 5 is formed in an attic so as to be surrounded by a plurality of the main house units 4. According to this construction, the frame body of the main house unit 4 can be used for the substrate member of the wall of the attic room 5 in common.

Abstract: : In cold regions, icicles and ice dams may develop on roofs that slope to cold eaves. Ventilating the space below the snow-covered roof with outdoor aur to create a "cold" ventilated roof is often an effective way to avoid such problems. Several buildings in northern New York were instrumented to determine how the attic temperature influenced icing. We observed that problematic icings developed very slowly, if at all, when the outside temperature was above 22F. Such icings can be avoided by sizing natural, and if necessary, mechanical attic ventilation systems to maintain an attic temperature of 30F when the outside temperature is 22F.

Abstract: The wall element forms a static supporting wall (12) extending a height distance equal to at least one storey, and has at least one horizontal niche cast into it in the ceiling regions (14, 16). Independent claims are also included for (a) a pre-fabricated roof overhang with battens, (b) a preferably ceiling element-size, pre-fabricated attic board provided with noise insulation, (c) a connector element for pre-fabricated attic boards, and (d) a method for constructing a pre-fabricated house using these pre-fabricated elements.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To unnecessitate a rafter, secure a ventilation space, and contrive ventilation an attic space by disposing an inclination member having an inclination face provided at the same angle as a roof inclination angle between a roof panel, a pole plate and a ridge beam, and disposing a ventilation space under the panel SOLUTION: The upper face of an inclination member 3 is made the inclination face of the same angle as that of a roof inclination face, and the lower face of a roof panel 1 and the upper face of the inclination face 3 are brought into contact with their faces to intermittently be disposed on a pole plate 2 After the roof panel 1 is set, a gap which is a ventilation space between the adjacent inclination members 3 is produced between the lower face of the panel 1 and the pole plate 2 At the time, in a case where a hut shape is a hipped roof and a rectangle, the total of the opening area of the ventilation space disposed under the lower face of the panel 1 is made 1/250 or more of a second floor ceiling area In addition, when a ventilation structure is provided on a gable roof and a ridge part, the total of the opening area of the ventilation area disposed between the pole plate 2 and the lower face of the panel 1 is made 1/900 or more of the second floor ceiling area Thereby a rafter is unnecessitated to secure the ventilation space, and ventilation of an attic space can be sufficiently performed

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently utilize attic space, and keep a balance between the rigidity of the roof part of a unit building and the rigidity of a building unit forming the third story of the attic space. SOLUTION: A roof unit 10 placed on a building unit so as to form a unit building in cooperation with the building unit, is constructed so that a vertical plane panel 15 having two pillars and an upper beam for rigidly jointing the upper ends of the two pillars is laid on a bottom panel 11 having four rigidly jointed corners H, with the lower ends of the two pillars rigidly jointed to the bottom panel 11 at the corners H. The roof unit 10 is thereby laid so as to have an L-shaped lateral view. Then, an oblique panel 18 for erecting a roof forming member is provided between the L-shaped ends of the bottom panel 11 and the vertical plane panel 15 by use of pin joints P, and an overall lateral view is formed to be triangular by use of each of the panels 11, 15 and 18.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance ventilation by a method wherein an opening is provided in the rear surface of a storage body provided adjacent to an internal wall of a wall body of a building and in the wall body so that the interior of the storage body communicates with an air passage leading to an attic space on the rear side of the wall body SOLUTION: An air passage 16 is formed between wall bodies 13, 14 provided between a living room 11 on the first floor and an adjacent living room 12 on the second floor so as to communicate with an upper attic space 15, and air in the attic space 15 is discharged to the outside through air ports 17, 18 Next a storage body 2 is installed along the inner wall surface of the wall body 13 on one side of the room 11 and an opening 21 is provided in the rear surface of the storage body 2 so as to communicate with an opening 13a provided through the body 13 And the air in the storage body 2 flows from the opening 21 through the opening 13a and passage 16 into the attic space 15 and is discharged from an air port 17 under the eaves and an air port 18 of a roof Consequently, ventilation can be performed without leaving the moisture in the storage body 2

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to hold a support member of a solar apparatus definitely and firmly and withstand a buoyancy produced by a strong wind and the load from overhead to a satisfactory extent and execute construction work in good order and with efficiency. SOLUTION: A support rod 1 is inserted into a through hole 3 which runs from the crest of a roof pile 2 to an attic while the lower part of the support rod 1 is fixed with a bearing rod 6, which is spanned to and mounted on a plurality of rafters 4 or purlins from the lower part, by way of a fixture 7. A support member 8 of a solar apparatus is integrally mounted on the supper part of the support rod 1. In this case, the fixture 7 is arranged to be movable from or fixable with the support rod 6.