International Energy Conservation

The I.E.C.C. requires glazing percentages and minimum insulation values included in the construction documents. The state and county that the house is being built in will determine the minimum R values based on the glazing percentage of the house’s exterior. An example would be Galveston County. Zone 3B with 15% glazing would require R- in the walls, R- in the attic. Whereas Denton County, Zone 6B with the same house would require:

The question the builder will need to address when they build a house with multiple elevations in multiple counties is do you use the worst case situation to determine R-values or do you figure each case separately. It is our understanding that the construction documents require minimum R-values specific to that house, so multiple generic charts may not work. Please be aware that there are also additional items in the I.E.C.C. not pertaining to the construction documents that will probably affect the builder. On a final note, the “Windstorm Resistant Construction Guide” and the “Standard for Hurricane Resistant Residential Construction” suggest construction practices (i.e. window location) that the builder may wish to address. While Kipp*Flores Architects can address these items from a design standpoint, the builder will have to determine cost feasibility. Please let us know if you wish to make adjustments to the plans in this area.