Practice Test Geeks(HERS) Home Energy Rater Certification Practice Test
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Building Envelope & Insulation Flashcards

7 cards from real HERS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Building Envelope & Insulation flashcards as text

  1. What is the term for the temperature at which air becomes saturated and moisture begins to condense within a building assembly?

    Answer: Dew point temperature

    The dew point is the temperature at which air reaches 100% relative humidity and water vapor begins to condense into liquid water.

  2. Which type of window has the lowest U-factor (best thermal performance)?

    Answer: Triple-pane with krypton fill and two low-e coatings

    Triple-pane windows with two low-e coatings and krypton gas fill achieve the lowest U-factors, typically below 0.15.

  3. A HERS rater notes fiberglass batts in a wall cavity with visible gaps and voids around electrical boxes. How does this affect the assembly?

    Answer: Significantly increases air leakage and reduces effective R-value

    Gaps and voids around penetrations allow air movement through the insulation and create thermal bypasses that substantially reduce effective R-value.

  4. Under RESNET's insulation grading system, which grade indicates insulation with significant defects—gaps, compression, or missing areas covering more than 2% of the surface?

    Answer: Grade III

    Grade III insulation has defects covering more than 2% of the surface, such as missing sections, major gaps, or severe compression, and is the lowest acceptable grade.

  5. What is the function of a radiant barrier installed in a hot-climate attic?

    Answer: Reflect long-wave infrared radiation from the roof deck

    A radiant barrier (typically foil-faced material) reflects radiant heat from the hot roof deck, reducing heat gain to the attic and lowering cooling loads.

  6. In a vented crawl space, which surfaces must be insulated per the IECC to minimize heat loss to the conditioned floor above?

    Answer: The floor assembly above the crawl space

    In a vented crawl space, the floor assembly (joists and subfloor) above the crawl space is the thermal envelope boundary and must be insulated.

  7. Which metric best characterizes the solar heat gain performance of a window?

    Answer: Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)

    SHGC measures the fraction of incident solar radiation admitted through a window, ranging from 0 to 1; lower values indicate less solar heat gain.