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Crawl Space Type & Definitions
Crawl Space Type & Definitions
Updated over a year ago

Crawlspace Type

Choose the type of venting and conditioning in the crawlspace. Your choice will enable or disable the Wall and Floor Cavity Insulation fields in the Crawlspace Details section depending on the appropriate situation.

Unvented - Unconditioned Crawl

This unconditioned crawlspace scenario is where the building floor above the crawl space is the thermal boundary to the home. If there were insulation, it would be applied applied to the building floor (crawlspace ceiling). This crawlspace does not have direct vents to the outside air.

Vented - Year Round

This is an unconditioned crawlspace where the building floor above the crawl space is the thermal boundary to the home. If there were insulation, it would be applied to the building floor (crawlspace ceiling). This crawlspace has direct vents to the outside air, and those vents remain open all year long.

Vented - Summer Only

This is an unconditioned crawlspace where the building floor above the crawl space is the thermal boundary to the home. If there were insulation, it would be applied to the building floor (crawlspace ceiling). This crawlspace has direct vents to the outside air, and those vents remain open only during summer months.

Conditioned Crawl

This is a conditioned crawlspace where the foundation walls and ground/slab of the crawl space are the thermal boundary. If there is insulation, it would be applied to the foundation wall and rim joists. In this scenario, there is no venting to the outside and the crawlspace floor is covered with a vapor barrier on top of the dirt floor. Building code often requires adding a jump vent to the main conditioned space in the house or ducting the furnace and/or A/C into the crawlspace as well. If the crawl does not have a jump vent or supply ducts, you will likely get a slight overestimate of energy use. The model assumes that the crawl temperature is a mixture of 20% ground temp and 80% indoor temp.

Conditioned Crawl & Rim Joist

Note: This field also triggers the Rim Joist options for the Crawlspace. You must set this field to Conditioned Crawl to be able to specify the insulation of the Rim Joists in the Crawlspace.

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