Sipablogs Structural Insulated Panel Association

Green Building is growing in popularity, but the industry still faces plenty of challenges… mainly finding cost-effective solutions to energy efficiency and our dwindling natural resources.  But new innovations in technology are creating options, and here’s one to watch: structural insulated panels.

Hailed as one of the leading 21st century green building materials, SIPs conserve more energy and save more money than their wooden frame counterparts.  According to a study conducted by Reed Construction Data, SIP-built homes repeatedly show annual energy savings of 50%-60% when combined with other energy-saving techniques.

These savings, plus their ease of use in new construction, are making SIPs a solid solution for eco-friendly home and building design. SIPs airtight nature results in less energy to heat the home or building in winter and cool it in summer.  Patrick Sughrue of Structures NW, LLC, Vancouver, WA, says his panels are “58% more energy efficient than stud and batt construction, and six times more airtight.”

How Are Structural Insulated Panels Made?

Structural insulated panels are considered a composite building material.  They’re formed by sandwiching two layers of structural board and applying an insulating foam layer in the center.  The structural board may be sheet metal or oriented strand board (OSB).  The foam is typically an expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) or polyurethane foam.

These panels also help residential builders reduce their framing labor needs by as much as 55%.  Sharing the same structural properties as I-beams, they are sturdy enough to be used in the construction of floors, roofs, and exterior walls.

Structures NW helps building professionals and owner-builders create building envelopes that perform above energy code requirements.  These building envelopes easily meet the energy saving criteria for building programs like Energy Star, Earth Advantage, LEED for Homes, Advanced Energy Design Guides, Core Performance and LEED-NC.

What You Should Know About Green Building Products

Energy efficiency claims are everywhere these days, but Sughrue warns homeowners not to be fooled by marketing claims.  “Check the facts.  In a building envelope you need to know the whole wall R-value of the wall system, not just the insulation.”  For example, find out if there are thermal bridges.  There is no such thing as an equivalent R-value, Sughrue says.

“In green building it is the energy efficiency of the envelope that really matters.  Everything else is secondary.  Most buildings will use as much energy every year as it took to build them.”

Sughrue believes net zero or passive solar homes are the future of green building.  He calls these options “economically achievable, but you will need to spend money on the envelope of the building and not so much on the finishes.”

Structures NW is a certified Sustainable Building Advisor and a member of several industry groups and organizations such as the American Solar Energy Society, Structural Insulated Panel Manufacturers Association, Ecobuilding Guild, and The Timber Framers Guild.