Designs That Work

Hot-Humid Climate - Lake Charles

Introduction - Building for a Hot-Humid Climate

A Hot-Humid climate is defined as a region that receives more than 20 inches of annual precipitation and where one or both of the following conditions occur:

• A 67°F (19.5°C) or higher wet bulb temperature for 3,000 or more hours during the warmest 6 consecutive months of the year, or
• A 73°F (23°C) or higher wet bulb temperature for 1,500 or more hours during the warmest 6 consecutive months of the year.

The intense solar radiation in this climate imposes a large thermal load on the house that can increase cooling costs and affect comfort. The approach presented in this package minimizes the impact of solar radiation on the building, its mechanical system, and its occupants. Moisture is a significant problem in this climate, more so in those areas that receive more than 40 inches of annual precipitation. The ambient air has significant levels of moisture most of the year. Because air conditioning is installed in most new homes, cold surfaces are present on which condensation can occur. Controlling the infiltration of this moisture-laden air into the building envelope and keeping moisture away from cold surfaces are major goals of design and construction. Housing types vary greatly throughout all of the different climate zones, but nowhere is the contrast so great as in the Hot-Humid climate of the south-eastern United States.

Note: Don't forget that it is always the conditions that you actually experience in your area that determine the appropriate building design and construction details. The Building America Climate Zones provide simplified groupings of geographic locations that may actually vary greatly in terms of weather, and therefore should be viewed as guidelines.

Map 1: Annual Precipitation - North America

Map 2: The Building America Hygro-Thermal Regions