New 2012 IECC Code Requirements
October 26th, 2011 | Lets Get Technical! | ACH, ashrae, blower door, building codes
The 2012 IECC is set to go into effect next year and there are some much improved code requirements. By improved I done mean easier and cheaper, but I mean better for the concept of energy efficiency, which in turn is better for Reward and the entire ICF Industry. Below are the most notable and relevant code changes as well as a climate zone map for reference.
- The new code is now going to require a building tightness test, otherwise known as a blower door test
- Blower door performance requirements changed for all climate zones
- Climate zones 1-2 reduced to 5 ACH (from 7 ACH)
- Climate zones 3-8 reduced to 3 ACH (from 7ACH)
- Wall insulation requirements increase
- Climate zones 3-4 now require R-20 (From R 13)
- Climate zones 6-8 now require an R-20 cavity insulation coupled with a R-5 foam exterior insulation
- Attic insulation requirement increase
- Climate zones 2 and 3 require R-38 (from R-30)
- Climate zones 4 and 5 require R-49 (from R-38)
- Basement and Crawl Space insulation increase
- Climate zone 5 requires R-15 (from R-10)
These highlights aren’t all encompassing, obviously, as there are more changes than that, but since you are reading from an insulated concrete form blog I figure I would point out the ones that insulated concrete forms can apply to directly!
These changes to the code, which may cost money on the front end for the consumer as well as the builders, will definitely be beneficial in the long term for the owners and builders alike. The key is to get your company ready for these code changes and implement them as soon as possible. By aligning yourself with companies that truly know what they are doing and can help you through the process, transitioning to the more stringent requirements should be painless.
