You are installing windows in a new home in Climate Zone 6A. The total window area is 320 square feet, and the gross wall area is 1,600 square feet. Calculate the window-to-wall ratio and determine if it meets Michigan Energy Code requirements without additional compliance paths.
Correct Answer
C) 20% - Complies without additional measures
Window-to-wall ratio = 320/1,600 = 0.20 or 20%. This meets the prescriptive compliance path limit without requiring additional energy efficiency measures.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Window-to-wall ratio = 320 ÷ 1,600 = 0.20 = 20%. The Michigan Energy Code prescriptive compliance path allows up to 20% window-to-wall ratio in Climate Zone 6A without requiring additional compliance measures such as trade-offs or performance calculations.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: 25% - Requires additional compliance measures
25% would be calculated as 400 ÷ 1,600, not 320 ÷ 1,600. Additionally, 25% exceeds the 20% prescriptive limit and would require additional compliance measures — making this answer wrong on both the math and the compliance conclusion.
Option B: 15% - Complies without additional measures
15% would be calculated as 240 ÷ 1,600. While 15% does comply, the actual ratio from the given numbers is 20%, not 15% — this answer uses incorrect math.
Option D: 30% - Requires additional compliance measures
30% would be calculated as 480 ÷ 1,600. Like 25%, this both uses wrong numbers and exceeds the prescriptive 20% limit, requiring additional compliance measures.
Memory Technique
Use the formula: WWR = Window Area ÷ Gross Wall Area. For Michigan Climate Zone 6A: the magic number is 20%. Above 20% and you need extra compliance measures — think '20 is the go/no-go line for Zone 6A.'
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