Certified Energy Auditor Practice Exam

The correct relationship between R-value and U-value is represented by the formula R = 1/U. R-value measures the resistance of a material to heat flow, indicating its insulating effectiveness, whereas U-value measures the rate of heat transfer through a building element. These values are inversely related; as insulation improves (higher R-value), the rate of heat transfer decreases (lower U-value). Therefore, when you take the reciprocal of the U-value, you find the corresponding R-value. This relationship is crucial for understanding how well a material will insulate a space and is widely used in building science to evaluate energy efficiency. The other options do not accurately reflect the mathematical relationship between R-value and U-value.