Wall assembly design and construction needs to consider rain, temperature, humidity as defined by the hygro-thermal regions, annual rainfall and the interior climate classes as environmental loads that affect mold, decay and corrosion as well as other degradation mechanisms.

1.5 in. foam thickness addressed by this Guide, only minimal changes to detailing and cladding attachments are needed. Such wall systems have been used with various approaches to cavity insulation, air sealing, and moisture control across various climate zones and have a history of successful performance.

Spanning eight climate zones, from very hot and humid to subarctic, and desert to rainforest, North America presents widely varied demands on our building enclosures. Anecdotally, there is much written on assemblies in cold climates but not so about hot climates.

In climate zone 5, the annual energy consumption costs are $831.18, $978.65, and $912.65 for wood, steel, and CMU, respectively. In this climate zone, the wood-framed walls are required to have continuous insulation with a minimum R-value of 3.8 installed on the exterior.

and certainly among the least forgiving of climate zones. Of course, builders and designers everywhere must accommodate the increasing requirements for thermal insulation and the development of tighter building enclosures - both of which reduce a wall’s capacity to dry - in conjunction with the use of modern, more