California Climate Zone 5
Climate zone 5 covers the central coast around San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara County — the smallest zone in the state. The Energy Commission assigns 42 of California's ZIP codes to it, making it the smallest of the sixteen.
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Where zone 5 is
The Energy Commission assigns 42 ZIP codes to zone 5 — about 1.6 per cent of every ZIP code it lists, and the smallest of the sixteen. Places in it include San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria and Lompoc.
The zone is geographically contiguous — it occupies one continuous block of the state rather than being scattered. The ZIP codes fall in the prefix ranges 931xx, 934xx.
What drives compliance in zone 5
Marine influence keeps both loads modest, much as on the bay shore, and this is the smallest zone in the state by ZIP count. Compliance is typically driven by envelope and fenestration choices rather than by mechanical capacity, and the mild winters mean heating equipment is rarely the binding constraint.
Where zone 5 ends
The smallest zone in the state, wedged along the central coast between the coastal, valley and Southern California assignments. Its size is the notable fact: fewer ZIP codes are assigned to zone 5 than to any other, so relatively few California projects ever encounter it.
Boundaries follow conditions rather than administrative lines, so the assignment is resolved from the project ZIP code rather than inferred from the city on the drawings.