Karpman Consulting performed a formal evaluation of a proposed change to the New York State Energy Code concerning the governance of party wall insulation. Evaluation of party wall insulation and air sealing was included in the list of items for the 2009 Energy Conservation
Construction Code of NYS Technical Evaluation of party wall insulation and air sealing was included in the list of items for the 2009 Energy Conservation Construction Code of NYS Technical Subcommittee review. The common walls are not considered to be exterior walls or part of the building envelope for the purposes of the codes. However, past experience with the NYS-ECCC and real-time performance testing demonstrated that they are often in direct connections with the outside, unconditioned crawlspaces or basement, and unconditioned attics, which results in significant air infiltration as well as conductive heat loss. The study investigated the thermal bypass mechanism through party walls and included review of the field research to obtain inputs for energy modeling, hourly simulation to quantify anticipated energy savings of representative building located in different New York State climate zones, and cost-benefit analysis.