Foundation Walls

Modified on Fri, 16 Jun, 2023 at 2:41 PM

Foundation Wall Library Help

Assembly vs. Classic Entry	These are the 2 entry modes available. We strongly recommend using the Assembly mode. When creating a new foundation wall it will start in Assembly mode.
Name	Identifier of the Foundation Wall
Verified	Library Curators can verify library entries. If an entry is verified, it can only be edited by a library curator. If you would like to update your organization’s library curators please ask your provider’s administrator or email support@ekotrope.com.
Description	Notes describing the Foundation Wall.

Assembly Entry

Continuous Insulation

R-Value	Enter the R-value of any continuous insulation that has been added to the foundation wall. R-value should be in units ft2·°F·hr/Btu.
Fully insulated (top to bottom)	Check this box if the continuous insulation extends the full height of the foundation wall. If not, uncheck it.
Feet from top of wall to top of insulation	Only visible if Fully Insulated is unchecked. Enter the distance in feet between the top of the continuous insulation and the top of the wall. Typically this is 0 but in some cases there is a gap. Note that for projects in Florida inversion 4.2.0, Ekotrope assumes that the foundation wall insulation always starts at the top of the wall. If you enter a value greater than 0 in Feet from top of wall to top of insulation, Ekotrope calculates the total insulation depth as the Feet from top of wall to bottom of insulation minus Feet from top of wall to top of insulation.
Feet from top of wall to bottom of insulation	Only visible if Fully Insulated is unchecked. Enter the distance in feet between the top of the wall and the bottom of the insulation. In some cases, the insulation will only extend part of the distance down the foundation wall.

Stud/Cavity Layer

Has Stud/Cavity Layer	Check this box if the foundation wall includes a layer of framing. Ekotrope assumes this is in addition to a layer of concrete and it assumes that the framing extends the full height of the wall.
Material	Select the Material in the cavity between the framing. Typically this is a type of insulation.
Depth	Enter the depth in inches of the material specified above.
Insulation Grade	Select the Insulation Grade as defined by RESNET Standards: Grade I: Perfectly Installed Grade II: Some gaps and cracks Grade III: Major gaps and missing insulation
Per Inch or Total	Select whether you will specify the R-value of the material Per Inch or Total. For a fiberglass batt with a rated R-value, Total is recommended. For blown or sprayed insulating products, you may prefer to use Per Inch.
R	Enter the R-value of the cavity material either Per Inch or Total. R-value should be in units ft2·°F·hr/Btu.
Stud Type	Select the material of the framing.
Depth in.	Specify the depth of the framing in inches. For example, this should be 5.5 inches for a 2x6 wall.
Width in.	Specify the width of the studs. For example, this should be 1.5 inches for a 2x4 or 2x6 stud.
Spacing in.	Enter the spacing between the studs on-center.
Framing Fraction	If Override Framing Fraction (below) is unchecked, this will show the calculated framing fraction. If Override Framing Fraction is checked, you can input your own estimate of the Framing Fraction here.
Override Framing Fraction	Check this box to be able to enter your own estimate of the framing fraction. Click on to see some common framing fractions.
Sheetrock Thickness [in]	Enter the thickness of the sheetrock (aka drywall or gypsum) in inches if it is present. If not, enter 0.

Classic Entry

R-value*

Thermal resistance value (inverse of U-Value) of insulation added to foundation wall (interior plus exterior). This value should not include concrete wall thermal resistance, air films, or soil R value - these are added during the calculation. All R-Values are in I-P (US) units: (h-ft²-F)/Btu. Please find some common examples below. If the value you are looking for is not in this table, please interpolate between available values.

R-5 Rigid Board Insulation - R-5
R-11 Draped Insulation - R-11
R-13 GI Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C. - R-11.5
R-13 GI Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C. - R-12
R-13 GI Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-17
R-13 GI Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-17.5
R-15 GI Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C. - R-12.9
R-15 GI Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C. - R-13.6
R-15 GI Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-18.5
R-15 GI Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-19.1
R-19 GI Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C. - R-16.8
R-19 GI Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C. - R-17.6
R-19 GI Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-22.4
R-19 GI Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-23
R-13 GIII Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C. - R-10
R-13 GIII Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C. - R-10.4
R-13 GIII Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-16.2
R-13 GIII Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-16.6
R-15 GIII Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C. - R-10.6
R-15 GIII Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C. - R-11
R-15 GIII Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-17.1
R-15 GIII Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-17.6
R-19 GIII Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C. - R-13.4
R-19 GIII Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C. - R-13.8
R-19 GIII Cavity Insulation, 16" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-20.3
R-19 GIII Cavity Insulation, 24" O.C., Plus R5 Continuous Insulation - R-20.9

For Grade II insulation, it is acceptable to interpolate between Grade I and Grade III (take the average) without significant loss of accuracy.

U-factor*

Thermal transmittance factor (inverse of R-value) of insulation added to basement wall (interior or exterior). Ekotrope already assumes 8”-12” of concrete, so this value should not include concrete wall thermal transmittance. All U-factors are in I-P (US) units: (h-ft²-F)/Btu. Please see the R-value section for examples.

*Input may be U-Factor or R-Value depending on user settings.