Page 25 - The Homeowner's Handbook 2017

Exteriors / Roofing / Structure / Insulation / IAQ / Windows & Doors / Heating & Cooling / Lighting / Appliances / Plumbing / Finishes / Cabinets & Tops / Alternative Energy

SIPs on the Roof? Structural Insulated Panels

Virtues
■ ■ Reduces labor
time/cost up
to 60 percent
■ ■ Excellent
insulating and
air infiltration
barrier
Caveats
■ ■ Storage on site
must be dry
and flat
■ ■ More expensive
material
The point where wall panels connect to an costs than
SIP roof is one of the trickier details when stick framing
■ ■ Skilled
building a complete home shell with these pre- installation
made panels. Get it right, and you’ll have a super- recommended
(for the wall to
strong, super-insulated structure. roof transition
especially)
IMAGE: WWW.THERMALSHELLHOMES.COM

or polyisocyanurate). SIPs address air infiltration, R-value and
vapor permeability, while at the same time creating the home’s
structure and providing a nailing surface for siding and drywall. Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA)
So why aren’t they seen everywhere? Because they tend to cost Since 1990, SIPA has worked to advance energy-efficient construction
through the use of structural insulated panels (SIPs). A replacement for
more up front than stick framing and aren’t widely understood wood-frame construction, SIPs are made of foam core sandwiched
by contractors. But if you figure in the benefits in labor savings between two structural facings. SIPs provide builders shorter construction
(up to 60 percent in some cases), plus the ongoing energy payback time and less jobsite waste. Homeowners benefit because smaller heating
and cooling systems are required with SIP construction. www.sips.org
to homeowners, you can argue that SIPs come out on par with or
lower in cost than wood framing. GB

Study: Embodied Energy in the Home
Materials with higher embodied energy
EEH SH need to last longer to justify their cost
Total to the environment. This study from
the University of Michigan compared
Floors
an energy-efficient house (EEH) with
Foundation/Basement a standard house (SH)—and measured
the energy costs for construction,
Walls (Ext./Int.)
maintenance and improvement of a home
Roof/Ceiling within a 50-year lifespan. The EEH does
slightly better on these measurements,
Appliances/Electrical
but greater savings (not shown) will come
Windows/Doors from energy savings in the more efficient
structure.
Sanitary/Piping
– Editor
Kitchen Cabinets

$0 $200 $400 $600 $800 $1,000 $1,200 $1,400 $1,600 SOURCE: WWW.UMICH.EDU
Gigajoules (1,000 MJ)

www.greenbuildermedia.com The Homeowner’s Handbook 2017 GREEN BUILDER 23

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