For the first time in over 19 years, ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) recently announced an increase to the minimum required prescriptive R-value (resistance to heat flow) for roof and wall insulation levels in Standard 90.1
The above-deck roof insulation requirements currently at R-15 go to R-20
approved for walls.
"ASHRAE is to be commended for establishing a new benchmark for building energy efficiency," said Jared Blum, President of PIMA. "According to the Department of Energy commercial buildings and homes account for 40% of the energy consumed in the United States. The increased values establish a new national standard minimum against which all codes can be compared and pave the way for buildings with improved efficiency and decreased carbon footprint."
The increased roof and wall insulation values apply to all commercial and high- rise residential buildings covered by Standard 90.1. These changes now become a part of the newest edition of the Standard
"Architects across the country are already installing insulation at levels that exceed these values. Those architects and designers seeking beyond-code recognitions (such as LEED, Energy Star, Building America, etc.) will now go even further to deliver advanced building envelopes with higher levels of insulation," added Blum.
– an increase of 33% – in every climate zone in the U.S. Similar increases were– 90.1-2007.
