A contractor is installing windows in a new home that must comply with Title 24. The total window area is 320 square feet, and the conditioned floor area is 2,000 square feet. What is the window-to-floor area ratio, and does it comply with the maximum allowed ratio of 20%?
Correct Answer
D) 16%, complies
Window-to-floor ratio = 320/2000 = 0.16 = 16%. This is less than the 20% maximum allowed under Title 24, so it complies with energy efficiency requirements.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
320 ÷ 2,000 = 0.16 = 16%. Since 16% is below the 20% maximum fenestration limit under Title 24, the installation complies. The question tests both the arithmetic and the compliance determination — both parts must be correct.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: 20%, complies
20% complies is a trick answer. While the compliance conclusion is correct, the ratio is wrong. 320/2,000 = 16%, not 20%. A candidate who skips the math and assumes the window area was designed to hit exactly 20% will choose this incorrectly.
Option B: 24%, does not comply
24% does not comply is doubly wrong — both the ratio and the compliance determination are incorrect. 320/2,000 is clearly 16%, not 24%. This distractor targets candidates who perform the division incorrectly or invert the numbers.
Option C: 16%, does not comply
16% does not comply is a half-correct trap. The ratio of 16% is correct, but the compliance conclusion is wrong. 16% is below the 20% cap, so it does comply. Candidates who correctly calculate the ratio but misremember the allowed maximum (or confuse 'maximum' with 'minimum') will select this.
Memory Technique
Two-step process: (1) divide window area by floor area → 320/2,000 = 0.16 = 16%. (2) Compare to 20%: 16 < 20, so it COMPLIES. Think: under the cap = under the limit = complies. Over the cap = fails.
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