Glossary · Climate
Hot-humid climate
Also called: hot-humid · humid subtropical · warm-humid
A climate with long, hot, muggy summers, like the US Gulf Coast and Florida, where controlling humidity matters as much as temperature.
What it means
DOE's Building America program defines it as more than 20 inches (50 cm) of rain a year plus many hours of high humidity during the warmest six months. Homes there benefit from properly sized cooling, sealed ducts and low-SHGC windows, and should avoid interior vapor barriers that can trap moisture.
Why it matters in an audit
Cold-climate habits, such as interior polyethylene vapor barriers, can cause moisture damage in hot-humid homes.
Typical numbers
Reference values with their sources. Your auditor’s report gives the figure for your own house.
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Building America definition | Over 20 in. (50 cm) of annual precipitation and a wet-bulb temperature of 67°F (19.5°C) or more for 3,000+ hours, or 73°F (23°C) or more for 1,500+ hours, during the warmest six consecutive months | energy.gov ↗ |
| IECC equivalent | Zones 1A–3A below the warm-humid line | energy.gov ↗ |