Heating energy measurements of unoccupied single-family houses with attics containing radiant barriers

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6674705

Levins, W P; Karnitz, M A

Tests were conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to determine the magnitude of the heating energy savings achieved by installing attic radiant barriers. The radiant barriers used for the test consist of a material with two reflective aluminum surfaces on a kraft paper base. The experiment was conducted in three unoccupied research houses operated by ORNL. Two variations in the installation of radiant barriers were studied. One house was used as the control house (no barrier was installed), while the other two were used to test the two methods for installing the radiant barriers. In one house, the radiant barrier was laid on top of the attic fiberglass batt insulation, and in the other house, the barrier was attached to the underside of the roof trusses. The attics of all three houses were insulated with a kraft-paper-faced R-19 fiberglass batt insulation. The winter test with the radiant barrier showed that the horizontal barrier was able to save space-heating electical energy in both the resistance and heat pump modes amounting to 10.1% and 8.5%, respectively. The roof truss radiant barrier increased consumption by 2.6% in the resistance mode and 4.0% in the heat pump mode. The horizontal orientation of the radiant barrier is the more energy-effective method of installation.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6674705
• Report Number(s): ORNL/CON-213; ON: DE87007803
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320105* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Building Services-- (1987-)
ATTICS
BUILDINGS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEAT TRANSFER
HOUSES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORNL
RADIANT HEAT TRANSFER
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS