We start off with the rising cost of energy. Studies suggest that heating and cooling account for 60-70% of the energy used in an average American home. It’s important to consider reducing energy costs, and the best place to start is applying insulation or building with SIPs (Structurally Insulated Panels). In a nutshell, building your home with SIPs will go a long way in lowering the cost of your energy bills. To address this topic properly, it is necessary to isolate the topic according to some consumer concerns.
1: First up, what is insulation?
To put it simply, heat always moves from warmer to cooler surfaces until the temperatures of both surfaces becomes equal. The concept of insulation reduces this flow of heat.
2: Next up, Why Insulate?
The bottom line is to retain the heat produced in your home. In winter, the air surrounding your home is colder than the interior of your home, so generating interior heat is always going to be accompanied by its eventual loss. The answer in these situations, is to create a buffer by using an insulating product between your house and the cold. This is the basic idea behind insulation.
3: R-value?
We start off with the R-Value. R-value is the measure of a materials resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power. According to the Department of Energy, thermal leaks, (corners, windows, and stud dividers) significantly reduce the stated R-Value in your home. For example, a 2×6 stud 24″ OC with R-19 fibreglass batting insulation has an effective R-Value of 13.7. A six-inch R-Control SIP has an R-Value of 24.7. Simply put, a 6″ R-Control SIP is 58% more effective than 2×6 construction.
Studies conducted by Oak Ridge National Labs have demonstrated that a 4-1/2” R-Control SIP board outperforms both 2×4 and 2×6 stick and bat insulation. Coupled with the fact that stick and batt insulation are notorious for uneven distribution of insulation materials. Whereas, R-Control SIPs or Structural Insulated Panels are a 21st century composite material that provides the benefits of insulation and structural performance in a single building product. R-Control SIPs consist of Foam-Control® EPS (expanded polystyrene) insulation laminated with structural adhesives to oriented strand board structural sheathing. This simple sandwich panel forms an amazingly strong insulated panel for building walls, roofs and floors. The airtight and well insulated R-Control SIPs building system and reduction in energy consumption means SIPs are ideal for your buildings insulation needs.
This report, in addition to extensive tests and an analysis of performance, leds to the conclusion of increased air loss through the walls when using conventional insulations. Furthermore, results also indicate that the standard components in conventional insulation lead to the reduction of R-Values by 30%.
The Oak Ridge study discovered that R-Control Structural Insulated Panels’ perform at 97% of their mentioned R-values, losing only 3% to seams, splines and connections. In Addition, electrical wiring and plumbing are located inside the foam core of the SIPs, which provides a continuous layer of insulation. When it comes to sustaining interior temperatures, a wall built with R-Control SIPs will outperform conventional insulation methods.