CLIMATE ZONES
Cols
Summary
Climate Zones covers the systems used to classify climate (IECC and ASHRAE zones, Koppen, USDA hardiness) and the building-relevant US regions: hot-humid, hot-dry, mixed, cold and very cold, and marine. Regions differ by heating and cooling load, moisture regime, and the envelope and site strategies that follow.
Types
- Climate Classification Systems
IECC and ASHRAE zones, Building America regions, Koppen, USDA hardiness, and EPA ecoregions, with what each classification system is used for. - Cold and Very Cold Climates
Climates with 5,400 or more heating degree days, from cold through very cold to subarctic, where insulation, vapor control, and frost drive design. - Design Strategies by Climate Zone
A side-by-side summary of the dominant design problem and primary strategies for each US climate region, from humidity control to frost and drying. - Hot-Dry Climates
Arid climates with large daily temperature swings and little rain, where shading, thermal mass, and evaporative or night cooling replace humidity control. - Hot-Humid Climates
Warm, wet climates with long cooling seasons, where latent load, humidity control, and moisture-driven decay and termites drive design. - Marine Climates
Mild, wet-winter, dry-summer coastal climates with narrow temperature ranges, where slow drying and rain penetration drive envelope design. - Mixed Climates
Climates with both a real heating season and a real cooling season, split into mixed-humid and mixed-dry by annual precipitation.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Energy: Climate zones (Building America climate regions), https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/climate-zones
- ASHRAE Meteo: climate zone definitions for IECC and ASHRAE, https://ashrae-meteo.info/v2.0/help_IECC.php