Feature Article

Texas Residential ecoPower EP600 Installation

This feature article details the technical aspects and results of installing an ecoPower series 600 turbine in a residential application and the dramatic effects on temperature profiles within the attic space and overall energy reduction for the client.

The client's residence is located in The Woodlands, Texas on the north side of Houston - an area well known for many trees, moderate to low winds and hot climate during summer months. The residence is slightly under 3900 sqft living area, with an attic space that employed the traditional favorite - ridge vents and soffits - as primary ventilation.

The client was plagued by high air conditioning costs, and was in the process of replacing the roof shingles and many sections of the roof sheathing due to roof rot after only 15 years of service. This residence is an upper end home, but very typical to residences in all southern USA states. High humidity combined with poor attic ventilation shortened the life of this roof by quite a few years. Like so many other consumers, this customer found out the hard way that inadequate ventilation is costly.

The roof was replaced in May 2009 and the ridge vent system was removed, but soffits left intact. Total attic volume was calculated in the order of 25,000 cuft, with complex rooflines but the attic connected throughout. Shingle color and EP600 color & texturizing was selected and specified by the client for visual contrast effect. The ecoPower600 was installed on the back side of the residence, and is not visible from the main drive or front of house. The EP600 was selected primarily for increased "wind only" ventilation capabilities, and consistant ventilation under power mode in "no wind" conditions that are prevalent in South Texas during summer. Design flow rate for the EP600 is 845 CFM (1,435 m3/hr) under wind alone and 2,500 CFM (4,250 m3/hr) under power at a power usage of 116 watts (rated) and 257 revs per minute. Power usage in application was expected to be closer to about 80-90 watts with normal wind support. Weight of unit is 32 lbs (14 kg).

RESULTS

Attic Temperature Reduced 50% & Overall Household (A/C) Power Consumption Lower by 20%

The chart to the left summarizes the before and after data snapshot of the attic temperature & differential profile for the residence. The differential temperature is defined as attic temperature minus ambient temperature. The data was collected over the period utilzing calibrated memory temperature data recorders located in the attic, living area, and outside ambient. Consistent data was collected for 3 days prior to installation and 3 days after installation under similar ambient conditions. As evidenced by data, the temperature cycles within the attic clearly demonstrated that the ridge vent system resulted in an attic temperature profile that was consistently 30-35 degrees higher than ambient temperature before ecoPower was installed. This differential was reduced to only 15 degF with ecoPower. The period of time for the attic temperature to recover to ambient after sunset was in excess of 8 hours using ridge vents resulting in additional power consumption for the recovery period. The attic recovery time was reduced to 4 hours with ecoPower. Household total power consumption during the test under the ridge vent system consistently showed about 98 KWH per each 24 hr period compared with 78 KWH/day with ecoPower, about a 20% reduction.

The key findings after installing the ecoPOWER EP600 are:

• 50% drop in attic differential temperature (attic temp minus ambient temp) after ecoPower installed.
• 20% savings in cooling costs with ecoPower.
• Inaudible (nil) noise from ecoPower.
• Increased comfort level in second floor living area.