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J. Clarke J. Clarke is offline
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Default Attic Insulation and/or Venting in the Southwest

Master Tang wrote:
"Andrew Barss" wrote in message
...

I'm looking for advice and ideas for improving energy efficiency in
my house,
especially heat from the roof and attic.

I own an older house in Tucson, and we are trying to do what we can
to decrease our electricity (mostly air conditioning) bills. The
house has a peaked roof, with a low attic that has minimal access.
The attic has some
blown-in loose insulation between the ceiling joists, and nothing on
the underside of the roof itself (and putting anything there is
essentially impossible). We have some degree of venting -- there
are small
vents on the two end walls near the peak, and two passive vents
(rotary type) on the roof, about four feet down from the peak.

I've heard various things, some conflicting, about how to better
the situation:

a) blow in a lot more insulation.
b) increase airflow using soffet vents (aka birdboard).
c) do both
d) do both, but with some sort of a channel up from the soffet
vents to above the insulation.

e) tear the roof off, put a lot of money into a high-tech roof
treatment. The curent roof is light-colored shingles,
and in quite good condition.


Anyone living in the Southwest have advice on what the best move is?


Thanks,

Andy Barss


I'd put more insulation in then the vents. I wouldn't mess with the
roof. Too expensive for your return.

Consider a ridge vent. They are not that expensive and supposed to be
the most effective.


If you don't have the soffit vent the ridge vent doesn't help all that
much--air has to come in before it can go out.

The channel from the soffit to above the insulation is easy--you get it in
premolded plastic from Home Depot for not much money.