OSB, which is an engineered wood-product, is a renewable, recyclable, biodegradable resource that is easily manufactured in large sheets. Also, typical exterior SIP walls use only approximately 12-20% of the dimensional lumber when compared to stick-built construction. Using the small, fast-growing trees helps to preserve our beautiful old forests. OSB comes from small, fast-growing trees (typically aspen) that that are underutilized or are species grown in managed forests. SIPs use materials that make minimal environmental impact.īy weight, PorterSIPs use approximately 89% engineered wood (OSB), 10% EPS foam plastic and less than 1% water activated polyurethane adhesive. Reducing the demand for heating and cooling in residential and commercial buildings by approximately 50% is a simple process and the cost is far less than the cost of generating this amount of energy. Heating and cooling energy represent the biggest single factors. Today in the U.S., residential structures use 21% and commercial structures use 17% of the total energy produced. It is a well documented that it is cheaper and easier to conserve energy than it is to generate new energy. The importance of saving energy in building construction cannot be over stated: today’s efforts at reducing pollution, dependence on foreign oil, and global warming are almost completely dedicated to the generation side of the issue. These high-performance homes featured structural insulated panel walls and roofs, roof-top solar photovoltaic systems, and other energy efficient technologies that helped the homes approach DOE’s goal of net-zero energy use. In 2002, ORNL teamed up with the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) and the DOE to create five innovative net-zero energy buildings. SIPs have been instrumental in the creation of many zero-energy buildings that produce as much energy as they consume through solar photovoltaic cells and a high performance SIP building envelope. When combined with other high-performance systems, SIP homes can reduce annual energy use by up to 50 percent or more. SIP homes have proven to reach these levels of air tightness consistently enough for the EPA to waive the required blower door test for homes with a complete SIP envelope to receive an ENERGY STAR rating. Stick-framed homes of similar size in the same subdivision averaged blower door test results ranging from 0.20 to 0.25. SIP-research homes built by ORNL were measured to have infiltration rates as low as 0.03 natural air changes per hour (ACH). Using a specially designed fan to negatively pressurize the structure, Home Energy Rating System (HERS) technicians can measure the amount of air leakage in the home and use this information to size HVAC equipment or apply for an ENERGY STAR qualification. Follow this link to see the full report.Īir leakage in homes is measured by using a blower door test. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have shown a SIP room to have 90 percent less air leakage than its stick-framed counterpart. Additionally, fiberglass and other insulating materials used in stick-framing are subject to gaps, voids, or compression, causing further degradation in thermal performance and drafts.īuilding with jumbo SIPs results in fewer joints and is an easy way to build a very air-tight structure. When the whole-wall R-value is measured, SIP walls outperform stick-framed walls where studs placed 16 or 24 inches on center cause thermal bridging and result in energy loss. A typical stick-framed home averages a framing factor ranging from 15 to 25 percent, while a SIP home averages a framing factor of only 3 percent. The more framing, the higher the framing factor and the more energy is lost due to thermal bridging. The percentage of area in a wall assembly composed of sawn lumber is classified as a wall’s “framing factor.” The framing factor is a measure of thermal bridging. SIPs enable structures to be assembled with minimal in-field framing. The insulating core of a structural insulated panel provides continuous insulation. EPS foam plastic provides top-performing structure and insulation for this building component. PorterSIPs use one pound density expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam plastic as the core. SIPs use their plastic foam core as structure as well as insulation. Energy Efficient Building Envelopes SIPs help to minimize environmental impact
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