Insulate profi ts with

By James Hodgson Premier Building Systems

II/HILE North American design based on design parameters. As a result, they can help create open interior spaces by reducing the need for intermediate structural supports.

V Y professionals and builders have used structural insulated panels (SIPs) in place of stick-built construction for several decades, many contractors are still unfamiliar with them. However, as requirements for energy efficient buildings become more stringent, building material dealers and distributors can anticipate more customer inquiries about SIPs.

"The word is out on SIPs," said Scott Bergford, 2009 Energy Value Housing Awards Builder of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders. "Customers are coming to me and requesting SIPs so much that I had to increase my staff just to keep up with demand, and I still have more jobs than I can handle."

SIPs are pre-manufactured wall, roof or floor components delivered to the jobsite ready to install. Designers can use them in wall, roof and floor systems in place of other structural elements such as wall studs and joists.

They are typically made with oriented strand board "skins" that are laminated and pressure cured to a rigid insulating foam core. The OSB and foam work together as both a structural system and for insulation.

SIPs are very strong and in most applications are structurally self-sufficient. Builders can incorporate SIPs into typical exterior walls, as well as shear walls to resist earthquakes and high winds. Extensive testing has proven that SIPs are appropriate for use in high-risk earthquake areas, including seismic zones D, E and F.

In roofs, SIPs can be used without an engineered truss system and can span long distances-up to 20 ft.

SIPs also work well in floors, typically in applications where an insulated floor system is required. This includes over crawl spaces, in threeseason porches, or above an unheated garage.

A key advantage SIPs provideespecially in the current building market of razor-thin margins-is their ability to dramatically reduce dry-in time. The large, single-piece panels (up to 8 ft.by 24 ft. long) enable contractors to install entire wall, roof and floor sections at one time. They eliminate the need for separate framing, insulating and sheathing work on site, and enable subs to start and finish work faster since walls, roofs and floors are plumb and square.

In addition, SIPs manufacturers pre-cut window and door openings, including curves, arches and complex shapes. Depending on an opening's dimensions, subcontractors don't need to spend time installing separate headers. The panels also come with pre-cut electrical chases, eliminating the need to drill though studs for wiring.

The design and construction process for a SIPs building is straightforward. The architect provides construction documents to a SIP manufacturer or dealer, who converts them into shop drawings that give each panel's specific dimensions. After review by all applicable parties, the manufacturer or dealer finalizes the shop drawings, makes the panels, and delivers them to the jobsite.

SIPs play an important role in ensuring quality interior finishes. Because they are made in a controlled setting and come in large sections, they allow for straighter walls than is possible with stick-built framing.

Straight engineered walls do not bow or warp like stick framed construction can, and they allow for faster, easier and higher quality installation of doors, windows, cabinets, millwork and other finishes. They also are important for homeowner and building owner satisfaction, especially in cases where artwork displays, intricate lighting designs and other architectural highlights could expose underlying wall flaws.

Building with SIPs results in fewer gaps than stick-built construction, creating a tight building envelope. This is a critical benefit for high energy efficiency and indoor air quality. "A SIP house has fewer joints, less complicated interfaces between conditioned and unconditioned spaces, and it is dramatically easier to make it tight," according to Sam Rashkin, national director of the EPA's Energy Star for Homes Program

Contractors can use SIPs to earn points for their projects under the LEED Green Building Rating System-up to 36 or more points in homes and up to 23 points in commercial construction. SIPs also integrate well with the NAHB's National Green Building Standard.

SIPs provide exceptional energy efficiency compared to stick-built construction for both cold and hot climates. The insulatine foam is continu- ous across the panel, unlike fiberglass batts that come in naffow sections and typically leave gaps near framing members.

The R-Value of a SIP panel offers a greater energy efficiency rating than higher R-value fiberglass insulation. The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that a R-14 whole-wall value 4.5" SIP wall outperformed a2"x6" wall with R-19 fiberglass insulation. The lab also concluded that SIPs can help reduce a building's annual energy costs by 507o to 6O7o compared to more common framing methods.

"It only costs an average of $200 to $300 a year to heat one of my SIP homes," said Scott Bergford. "That's anywhere from one-fifth to one-sixth the typical costs for this region (western Washington State), so the savings are pretty significant."

Stick-built construction also generates large waste volumes as builders cut stock boards to length. Framing a structure can generate thousands of pounds of scrap wood. By comparison. SIPs are manufactured in a controlled setting that allows for more careful material management than is possible on a jobsite. As a result, contractors can reduce waste bY uP to two-thirds.

Many SIPs are l00Vo recyclable, as well as have rigid foam cores made from a specified amount of recycled content. In addition, the OSB skins come from fast-growing, renewable trees. OSB manufacturing uses a high percentage of each log, making efficient use of natural resources.

SIPs can also play a significant role in improving indoor air quality. They provide a tighter building envelope than other framing methods, which helps reduce infiltration of common pollutants such as radon, molds, pollen, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), lead dust, and asbestos. Some manufacturers' SIPs also do not contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) or formaldehyde.

As more contractors look to use SIPs in their projects, dealers can serve as a valued information resource. Becoming a SIPs distributor can help tap into a growing, advanced building technology that many in the industry view as the future of framing.

- James Hodgson is general manager for Premier Building Systems, Fife, Wa. He can be reached at (800) 275-7086 or via www pbssips.com.

R:rrlr:ls

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Habitat for Humani4r opened a ReStore discount outlet in Hilo. Hi. (Paul Normann, resource mgr.)

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