Replies

1. 
   user-626934 | Mar 01, 2015 04:03pm | #1

   https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/building-science/all-about-climate-zones

   4-marine is also called "4-C" and is the Pacific Northwest. 4-A is the zone in the middle of the country that starts in western Kansas and heads all the way east...Washington D.C., Baltimore, and St. Louis are some of the prototypical 4-A metropolitan areas. 4-B (rarely talked about around here, it seems) are the dry/arid areas roughly in the Southwest...but not too hot....Albuquerque is just barely in 4-B.

2. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Mar 02, 2015 06:05am | #2

   William,
   The "Q&A" tab is one of the green tabs at the top of every GBA page. It brings you to the page with the climate zone map. Click on the map to enlarge it.

3. 
   jumanji | Mar 02, 2015 07:55am | #3

   Thanks John and Martin. I guess the old adage is true…"sometimes you can't see the forest because of the trees…" Our county (Chester County, Pa.) is literally adjacent to climate zone 5. Does it make sense to insulate for climate zone 5-A instead of 4-A.
   Thanks

4. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Mar 02, 2015 08:10am | #4

   William,
   If you are located in Climate Zone 4, then minimum code requirements for Zone 4 apply to you. However:

   1. Verify local code requirements with you local building department.

   2. You are always free to insulate to a higher R-value than minimum code requirements -- if that's what you want to do.

5. 
   wjrobinson | Mar 02, 2015 10:13am | #5

   Air seal and super insulate. Sealing air leaks is very important and gets great bang for the effort and buck.

6. Expert Member
   Dana Dorsett | Mar 02, 2015 04:05pm | #6

   Depending on the per MMBTU cost of your heating fuel, it can be financially rational to go quite a bit above code minimums. See Table 2 p10 of this document:

   http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/bareports/ba-1005-building-america-high-r-value-high-performance-residential-buildings-all-climate-zones

   Note, those are "whole assembly" R values, with all of the thermal bridging of structural elements factored in, not center-cavity R. (An R20 wall isn't a 2x6 studwall with R20 cavity fill- that only comes in at R13-R15 after factoring in the thermal bridging of the framing.).

7. 
   jumanji | Mar 02, 2015 10:15pm | #7

   AJ,
   Appreciate the tip. I guess you cannot say enough about the common sense approach.
   Thanks

8. 
   jumanji | Mar 02, 2015 10:24pm | #8

   Dana,
   Thanks for the information. It is amazing how thermal bridging really lessens your r-values. the building science article is very helpful. I am leaning toward exceeding the codes regarding insulation. It seems the time to do it is when building. Thanks again.