Recommended R-value calculator
Choosing insulation levels without a climate context is how attics stay under-insulated in cold zones and walls get over-specified where cooling loads dominate.
Run — free
Homeowners, remodelers, energy auditors, and estimating apps need a single, shareable answer to a practical question: for this IECC climate zone, what attic, wall, and floor R-values make sense for an efficient wood-frame envelope. This recommended R-value calculator maps climate zones one through eight to deterministic attic, wall, and floor targets, including optional Marine Zone four floor upgrades, so takeoffs and education pages stay consistent across clients. Values follow a fixed DOE-style guidance table in inch-pound units; the engine does not call weather APIs or invent product thicknesses. The browser widget runs free on your device; the prepaid API charges $0.002 per successful item so SDKs, audit tools, and contractor tablets share one contract without re-coding zone tables in every language.
How to use it
Enter your values in the form above. The tool checks them before calculating and shows the result on the same page.
Check your inputs
Use the labels and units shown next to each field. If something is missing or outside the allowed range, the page points to the field to fix.
Use it again or automate it
Use the browser tool for individual checks and the API when you need the same capability in an automated workflow.
What you can do with it
Get an answer now
Enter one set of values and see the result without building a spreadsheet or script.
Compare scenarios
Change one value at a time and rerun the calculation to understand what affects the result.
Automate repeated work
Use the API when the same calculation needs to run inside your product or workflow.
FAQ
How do I use this capability?
Complete the fields above and run it on this page. The form highlights anything that needs attention.
For developers — API access
Everything on this page is available programmatically. This section is for teams who want to wire it into their own systems; everyone else can just use the tool above.
API endpoint
Prefer to automate it? One authenticated POST creates the task; the result comes back by webhook or a signed link. The same capability also runs here on the web, by email and from Telegram — and soon from our app too.
Call it from your stack
curl -X POST https://api.kit.forhosting.com/home/recommended-r-value \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $KIT_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"climate_zone":5}'const res = await fetch("https://api.kit.forhosting.com/home/recommended-r-value", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.KIT_KEY}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"climate_zone": 5
})
});
const { task_id } = await res.json();import os, requests
res = requests.post(
"https://api.kit.forhosting.com/home/recommended-r-value",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['KIT_KEY']}"},
json={
"climate_zone": 5
},
)
task_id = res.json()["task_id"]<?php
$res = file_get_contents("https://api.kit.forhosting.com/home/recommended-r-value", false, stream_context_create([
"http" => [
"method" => "POST",
"header" => "Authorization: Bearer " . getenv("KIT_KEY") . "\r\nContent-Type: application/json",
"content" => '{"climate_zone":5}',
],
]));
$task = json_decode($res, true);body := bytes.NewBufferString(`{"climate_zone":5}`)
req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.kit.forhosting.com/home/recommended-r-value", body)
req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+os.Getenv("KIT_KEY"))
req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)Example request
{
"climate_zone": 5
}Example response
{
"task_id": "tsk_a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6",
"type": "home.recommended_r_value",
"status": "queued",
"_links": {
"result": "/tasks/tsk_…/result"
}
}The API is asynchronous: the call returns a task_id immediately and the result arrives by webhook. Polling is capped at 1 req/s per task.
Pricing
Published price — no tokens, no invented credits. A failed task is never charged.
Errors
| HTTP | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
401 | unauthorized | Missing or invalid API key. |
402 | insufficient_balance | Your balance doesn't cover the task price. |
404 | unknown_type | That task type doesn't exist. |
429 | rate_limited | Too many requests. Use the webhook instead of polling. |