Wisconsin Uniform Residential Code (based on the 2009 IECC)

Country / jurisdiction: United States · Year: 2016 · Status: In force · Level: State/Provincial · Type: Voluntary

Air leakage:

Window and door assemblies:

(a) General. Except as specified in par. (b), windows, skylights and sliding glass doors shall have an air infiltration rate of no more than 0.3 cfm per square foot, and swinging doors no more than 0.5 cfm per square foot, when tested according to NFRC 400 or AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440 by an accredited, independent laboratory and listed and labeled by the manufacturer.

(b) Exception. Site-constructed doors and windows shall be sealed with gasketing or weatherstripping or shall be covered with a storm door or storm window.

Joint and penetration sealing:

(a) Exterior joints, seams or penetrations in the dwelling envelope, which are sources of air leakage, shall be sealed with durable caulking materials, closed with gasketing systems, taped, or covered with water-vapor-permeable house wrap.

Joints to be treated include all of the following:

1. Openings, cracks and joints between wall cavities and window or door frames.

2. Between separate wall assemblies or their sill-plates and foundations.

3. Between walls, roof, ceilings or attic ceiling seals, and between separate wall panel assemblies, including between interior and exterior walls.

4. Penetrations of utility services through walls, floor and roof assemblies, and penetrations through top and bottom wall plates.

(b) Sealing shall be provided at the attic and crawl space panels, at recessed lights and around all plumbing and electrical penetrations, where these openings are located in the dwelling thermal envelope.

(c) The sealing methods between dissimilar materials shall allow for differential expansion and contraction.

Recessed lighting. When installed in the dwelling envelope, recessed lighting fixtures shall be sealed to limit air leakage between conditioned and unconditioned spaces by one of the following means:

(a) The fixture shall be IC-rated and labeled with enclosures that are sealed or gasketed to prevent air leakage to the ceiling cavity or unconditioned space.

(b) The fixture shall be IC-rated and labeled as meeting ASTM E 283 when tested at 1.57 psi pressure differential with no more than 2.0 cfm of air movement from the conditioned space to the ceiling cavity.

(c)

1. The fixture shall be located inside an airtight sealed box with clearances of at least 0.5 inch from combustible material and 3 inches from insulation.

2. If the fixture is non-IC-rated, the box shall be constructed of noncombustible material that does not readily conduct heat.

Lighting Equipment. A minimum of 50 percent of the lamps in permanently installed lighting fixtures shall be high-efficacy lamps.

Specific insulation requirements:

(1) Ceilings with attic spaces.

(a) R-38 will satisfy the ceiling R-value requirement for a dwelling where the full height of uncompressed R-38 insulation extends over the wall top plate at the eaves.

(b) An attic-access cover shall be weatherstripped and insulated to a level equivalent to the insulation on the surrounding surfaces when the attic is an unconditioned space. A wood framed or equivalent baffle or retainer is required to be provided when loose fill insulation is installed, the purpose of which is to prevent loose fill insulation from spilling into the living space when the attic access is opened, and to provide a permanent means of maintaining the installed R-value of the loose fill insulation.

(2) Ceilings without attic spaces. Where the design of the roof or ceiling assembly does not allow sufficient space for the required R-49 insulation, the minimum required insulation for the roof or ceiling assembly shall be R-30. This reduction of insulation shall be limited to 500 square feet of ceiling area.

(3) Mass walls. The requirements of Table 322.31-1 are applicable to mass walls.

(4) Steel-frame ceilings, walls and floors.

(a) Steel-frame ceilings, walls and floors shall meet the insulation requirements of Table 322.32 or shall meet the U-factor requirements in Table

Official source: http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/sps/safety_and_buildings_and_environment/320_325/322