In a hot-humid climate, moisture flows from outside to inside most of the year. In a mixed-humid climate, moisture flow changes direction in cooling and heating seasons. Using the proper wall assembly in your home is important for controlling moisture.

Some types of insulation systems offer additional benefits, in addition to their R-value, that can make a real difference in overall energy-efficiency. These properties should be factored into your cost-benefit comparison.

Advanced framing details provide a much more continuous insulation system than traditional framing techniques and prevent insulation voids that can result in moisture problems. The biggest insulation gaps in the thermal envelope are windows and doors.

R-value is standardized measure of a material’s resistance to heat flow — the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating ability. However, the actual R-value of a wall or ceiling can be a lot less than the R-value of the insulation material in it, depending on the installation.

Construction gaps and resulting air leakage can increase heating and cooling costs, create comfort and moisture problems, draw in pollutants, reduce fire safety and serve as an entry for rodents and insects. Homes should have a continuous air barrier system that surrounds all conditioned space — a combination of materials linked and sealed together to create a tight building envelope with little air leakage.

R-value and other characteristics of various insulation materials.

To overcome the forces that wind places on a building, construction of the walls with connectors and sheathing is important.