1311.1 Installation Requirements: All insulation materials shall be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions to achieve proper densities, maintain clearances, and maintain uniform R-values. To the maximum extent possible, insulation shall extend over the full component area to the intended R-value.
1311.2 Roof/Ceiling Insulation: Where two or more layers of rigid board insulation are used in a roof assembly, the vertical joints between each layer shall be staggered. Open-blown or poured loose-fill insulation may be used in attic spaces where the slope of the ceiling is not more than three feet in twelve and there is at least thirty inches of clear distance from the top of the bottom chord of the truss or ceiling joist to the underside of the sheathing at the roof ridge. When eave vents are installed, baffling of the vent openings shall be provided so as to deflect the incoming air above the surface of the insulation.
Where lighting fixtures are recessed into a suspended or exposed grid ceiling, the roof/ceiling assembly shall be insulated in a location other than directly on the suspended ceiling.
| EXCEPTION: | Type IC rated recessed lighting fixtures. |
Where installed in wood framing, faced batt insulation shall be face stapled.
1311.3 Wall Insulation: Exterior wall cavities isolated during framing shall be fully insulated to the levels of the surrounding walls. When installed in wood framing, faced batt insulation shall be face stapled.
Above grade exterior insulation shall be protected.
1311.4 Floor Insulation: Floor insulation shall be installed in a permanent manner in substantial contact with the surface being insulated. Insulation supports shall be installed so spacing is not more than twenty-four inches on center. Installed insulation shall not block the airflow through foundation vents.
1311.5 Slab-On-Grade Floor: Slab-on-grade insulation installed inside the foundation wall shall extend downward from the top of the slab a minimum distance of twenty-four inches or to the top of the footing, whichever is less. Insulation installed outside the foundation shall extend downward a minimum of twenty-four inches or to the frostline, whichever is greater. Above grade insulation shall be protected.
| EXCEPTION: | For monolithic slabs, the insulation shall extend downward from the top of the slab to the bottom of the footing. |
1311.6 Radiant Floors (on or below grade): Slab-on-grade insulation shall extend downward from the top of the slab a minimum distance of thirty-six inches or downward to the top of the footing and horizontal for an aggregate of not less than thirty-six inches.
If required by the building official where soil conditions warrant such insulation, the entire area of a radiant floor shall be thermally isolated from the soil. Where a soil gas control system is provided below the radiant floor, which results in increased convective flow below the radiant floor, the radiant floor shall be thermally isolated from the sub-floor gravel layer.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27A.025, 19.27A.045. 10-03-115, 10-13-113 and 10-22-056, § 51-11-1311, filed 1/20/10, 6/21/10 and 10/28/10, effective 1/1/11. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27A.025. 93-21-052, § 51-11-1311, filed 10/18/93, effective 4/1/94.]
Notes:
Reviser's note: Notice of Objection: The Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee (Committee) finds that, in adopting the 2009 proposed changes to the State Energy Code, Chapter 51-11 WAC, on November 20, 2009, the State Building Code Council (Council) failed to comply with all requirements of the law and failed to adequately respond to the Committee's request for additional economic impact and cost-benefit analyses prior to adoption.
On October 1, 2009, the Committee found that the Small Business Economic Impact Statement (SBEIS) for the proposed changes filed with the Code Reviser failed to comply with all requirements of law. The Committee requested that the Council conduct a cost-benefit analysis pursuant to RCW 34.05.328 and amend the SBEIS to provide additional economic impact information, including an estimate of the number of jobs that would be created or lost as a result of compliance with all the proposed rules, as required by RCW 19.85.040 (2)(d).
The Council provided the Committee with information and data on November 18, 2009. On December 2, 2009, the Committee found that the Council failed to adequately respond to the Committee's request for additional data. Specifically, the Committee found that the Council failed to amend the SBEIS to (a) estimate the number of jobs that would be created or lost as a result of compliance with the proposed changes; and (b) support the SBEIS with a detailed and rigorous costs analysis of the cumulative impact of all the changes. In addition, the Committee found that the Council failed to provide the Committee with a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed changes and pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.05.328.
The Committee strongly supports a process that makes thoughtful and informed progress towards changes that result in improved energy efficiency in our buildings, wherever practicable. While the Council worked diligently, it is the opinion of the Committee that the Council did not fully develop and consider the economic impacts and costs versus benefits of these significant changes to our Energy Code. Furthermore, it is the opinion of the Committee that the Council and the Legislature need this information to fully evaluate the value, impacts, and consequences of the proposed codes, with due diligence to their respective fiduciary responsibilities, in order to create the best informed public policy.
As a result, the Committee recommends that the Governor suspend the adoption and implementation of the changes to the Energy Code, Chapter 51-11 WAC, adopted by the Council on November 20, 2009, until such time as a more adequate analysis has been completed and considered by the appropriate bodies.
For all of the above stated reasons, the Committee objects to the changes to the State Energy Code, Chapter 51-11 WAC, that were adopted by the Council on November 20, 2009, and hereby directs the Code Reviser, pursuant to RCW 34.05.640(4), to publish this Notice of Objection in the Washington State Register and along with any publication in the Washington Administrative Code of changes to Chapter 51-11 WAC that were adopted by the Council in 2009 and filed with the Code Reviser.