FLORIDA DEPARTURES FROM THE IECC

Administrative

• Differences in Florida law re: renovations, historic buildings, building systems, replacement equipment, exempt buildings
• Florida has a category for limited/special use buildings
• Florida has its own compliance certification, forms, amended construction documents
• Florida has a form reporting requirement for data collection purposes.

Definitions: Pages of them; limit to terms used.

General: Design Criteria

• Added insulation installation standards, recessed equipment, insulation protection
• Added materials testing and thermal properties, calculation procedures & assumptions

Residential, low-rise buildings

• Florida requires an EPL Display Card per FL law
• Florida has specific insulation requirements for common walls, ceilings, floors
• Prescriptive method 402: Features specified would make a typical building equivalent to a building complying by Section. 405. IECC uses the prescriptive features in Table 402.1.1 to establish the Standard Reference Design. Some Florida specifics in the 2010 code include:
• Limited % window area for complying by this method to 20%
• Prevented air handlers in attics, electric resistance space heating from using 402
• Required ducts & air handler to be in conditioned space & tested to Qn<=0.03
• 2010 package has higher R-value in mass walls

Note: The above criteria will be adjusted for equivalency with Section 405.

• Duct construction criteria are Florida-specific, referred to Ch. 5, commercial
• Florida’s duct testing methodology and levels are more stringent than IECC; requires qualification to test
• Florida has specific criteria for installation of air handlers in attics
• Florida code includes specific criteria for heat traps, solar, combination systems
• Florida has specific criteria for ventilation air provided by mechanical systems.
• Florida has minimum heating, cooling and water heating system efficiencies; not in residential IECC (residential sized systems are covered by federal law). Recommend referencing commercial code.
• Florida has more detailed HVAC equipment sizing criteria, matching criteria.
• Florida has specific swimming pool equipment efficiencies and filtration pump criteria
• Section 405, Simulated Performance Alternative
• Florida code HVAC & water heating equipment Standard Reference Design is federal minimums per federal law, gives credit for higher efficiency equipment; IECC does not
• Florida has an air distribution system SRD; the IECC treats ducts prescriptively.
• Florida provides credit for new & innovative technologies
• R-19 minimum ceiling insulation per Florida law
• Criteria provided for window overhangs & doors with glazing

Commercial and High-Rise Residential Buildings

• Florida has specific building cavity air flow criteria based on Florida research
• Florida has damper requirement for apertures in the building envelope such as hydrostatic openings in stairwells.
• Florida requires equipment sizing be provided to BO; exception for summary where engineered and including certain information.
• Florida has criteria for small equipment, not covered in IECC
• Florida has specific duct insulation values and duct sealing criteria
• Florida has specific criteria for air distribution system testing, adjusting and balancing.
• Florida has specific dehumidification criteria.
• Florida has prohibition on condensing coils installed in the air stream of another a/c unit.
• Florida has specific water flow rate controls per state law.
• Florida has electric power criteria based on ASHRAE, including minimal nominal efficiency for electric motors.