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Introduction

As much as we talk about sustainability in architectural design, we often miss some important context. The three most important enclosure-related factors influencing how much energy a building will consume are, in order: glazing ratio (how much glass is on the building and how good is the glass?), air tightness (how well have we separated the inside from the outside?) and insulation (how much insulation are we using and is it continuous?). This list is not intuitive for a lot of professionals, and in prioritizing design decisions it helps to understand these relationships better, including differences between commercial and residential buildings and where we are as an industry. About Building Science Fight Club

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Video: The Three Most Important Design Considerations for Energy Efficiency

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Quiz

To earn AIA Continuing Education Units (CEU), you must complete the quiz below and get all 3 questions correctly. Feel free to retake the quiz if needed. To keep learning, check out more courses in Building Science.