A new code change to the 2018 IECC allows for buried ducts as a more cost effective, high performance choice for homes with traditional vented attic designs.
The new code lays out a direct path for using buried ducts with fibrous insulation in vented attics in all climate zones. The code change was approved to allow builders to get the energy efficiency benefits of an unvented attic with closed cell spray foam instead of a traditional vented attic with the ducts buried in fibrous insulation.
Data from DOE’s Building America program shows buried ducts can save more energy than a home with vented attics and ccSPF below the roof. In fact, the data from the DOE report excerpted below shows deeply buried ducts are 20-30% more efficient than an unvented attic system. This code change lowers the cost of designing and building higher performance homes.
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