Green Home Construction Using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
Green home construction uses a combination of innovative technology and design to build energy-efficient homes with efficiency ratings up to 60% or better compared similar homes that are not green. Two of the more common technologies used to help achieve the improved efficiency in new construction are SIPs and ICFs. With this post I will introduce SIPs. I’ll introduce ICFs in the next post.
A Structural Insulated Panel or SIP is a prefabricated high performance panel used to construct floors, walls and ceilings/roofs in residential and light commercial buildings. The panels are constructed with a rigid piece of insulating plastic foam mounted (sandwiched) between two outer layers of strand board or some other type of structural material such as cement board.
Homes built with SIPs go up faster, have tighter envelops and create less waste than standard stick frame construction. As a result, using SIPs to build a home can help save time, money and labor on the job. The insulating performance is far greater than ordinary homes. The result is that a home built with SIPs has lower operating costs due to lower heating and cooling expenses.
The costs of working with SIPs are about the same as ordinary construction when all factors are considered including material, labor and costs of operation. In addition, the superior energy performance of SIPs can have a positive impact on the economic value of a home.
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k the pictures in this article at the job site of a Boulder Colorado custom green home designed by the German company WeberHaus GmbH & Co. The materials including the SIPs were shipped to the U.S. in freight containers. The home is being assembled by the construction firm, Vireo Vision.
If you or someone you know is planning to buy a new home, consider a home built with SIPs.
If you are interested in purchasing a home in the Denver or Boulder area, I can help you find a home built with SIPs. I can provide you with local real estate market information in addition to information about neighborhoods, jobs and schools.
To search for Denver or Boulder Colorado Green Homes visit E3GreenHOMES.com
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John Thomas MSEE, MBA
(m) 720-771-5594 (e) john.thomas@e3greenhomes.com
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