SIP Wall Panels – A great alternative with great benefits!
With seemingly constant increasing costs of energy, raw materials, and labour – it’s as important as ever to save money while maintaining high standards and building to code. Structural Insulated Panels are a wonderful alternative building technology that is gaining fast popularity among residential and even light commercial construction.
What are SIP wall panels?
Structural Insulated Panelling, or SIPs, is a composite building material that in one form or another has be used as early as the 1930s. originally, SIPs were developed using corrugated paperboard cores and surfaces of plywood, treated paperboard, and tempered hardboard. Polystyrene and paper overlays replaced the paperboard cores in the 60s, and now SIPs have cores of polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, or polyurethane foam with outer structural board made from a variety of materials, including plywood, cement, sheet metal, or oriented strand board (OSB). OSB panels are the most common, but there are sometimes use of other more unconventional materials such as fibre-reinforced plastic or stainless steel, and some panels are made with eco-friendly materials such as wheat straw or other agricultural fibres.
SIP wall panels can be used as walls, ceilings/roof, and even floors (especially a beneficial use as flooring when there is an uninsulated space below the floor). SIPs are structurally stronger than conventional stick-framed houses, while being just as versatile in custom work!
The benefits to SIPs are many! They are easy to install – meaning faster construction time. SIPs are very energy efficient and have a much greater R-value than conventional walls with fibreglass insulation, meaning you’ll be saving money on your heating bills and reducing your CO2 emissions. A SIP-constructed building has exceptional load bearing capabilities, fantastic insulating properties, and last longer than traditional framed buildings, meaning your costs over time are much lower.
Constructing your home and any other building type using SIPs is a great way to ensure a healthy living environment! The foam core within the panels prevents moisture from escaping into wall cavities, meaning that mould is eliminated in common growth areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. SIPs are also fantastic for reducing the spread of noise pollution – whether it’s coming from down the street or down the hall!
Structural Insulated Paneling is a great alternative panelling system. Consider utilising it for your new home or light commercial construction project!
Pre-manufactured walls
Prefabrication is the action of assembling different parts of an entire structure before building it completely at its final location. More and more people are seeking out pre-manufactured components when building, or renovating, to lessen their stress and save time and money. One of the most popular pre-manufactured components of a structure is of course roof trusses, but we here at Perfect Panel have seen a fast growing interest and rising usage of pre-manufactured walls too!
Compared to typical framing, pre-manufactured walls panels are cost effective, save time on the jobsite, creates less mess, and lessens cleanup and disposal fees. Because they are factory built, the walls are quality-controlled and designed uniquely for the structures specific needs. This means that you are getting the high quality materials and extreme accuracy of dimension.
Energy efficiency in walls
Energy efficiency is very beneficial to both the builder and the homeowner! It is becoming increasingly important to homeowners to have energy efficient homes, and building codes are consistently adopting these measures to ensure there will be energy savings. Here are some tips on how to make walls energy efficient:
Use wood when building
Using wood in the walls can help to insulate, can sustain high winds and cold weather, and is affordable!
Make sure you are insulating properly and effectively
Insulating is the key to keeping heat where you want it, and where you need it! Insulating wall cavities is the most common and affordable way to stop heat loss through your walls.
Buy energy efficient doors and windows
Windows and doors are of course the biggest culprits in heat loss in our homes. However, new designs in recent years have made leaps and bounds when it comes to reducing your energy costs and allowing much more stable and uniform temperatures from room to room.
Always seal correctly and thoroughly
Just like insulating, sealing your walls well means saving more money and energy! Don’t be fooled by its simplicity and low cost – it makes a big difference on those cold winter nights!
SIP Wall Panels– A Greener Future for Wall Panel Technology
SIP Wall Panels– A Greener Future for Wall Panel Technology Here at Perfect Panel Systems we know the value of building for a healthy, greener future. Building for a greener future can mean many different things – using less energy, using natural and biodegradable materials, and using recycled materials instead of newly manufactured ones.
Here at Perfect Panel Systems we know the value of building for a healthy, greener future. Building for a greener future can mean many different things – using less energy, using natural and biodegradable materials, and using recycled materials instead of newly manufactured ones. Using environmentally friendly materials can take care of more than just one of these requirements for a greener future. Eco-friendly materials often require less energy to produce, are biodegradable, and do not leave behind any toxic chemicals. SIP Wall Panels can be manufactured from a wide variety of materials, including paper-board, polystyrene foam, and surfaces of plywood. The outer shell of an SIP wall panel can be made out of many different materials, such as cement and oriented strand board (OSB). SIP wall panels can also be made out of various greener materials without any loss to structural integrity.
The new SIP wall panels are next wave of greener construction technology. Everyday people are coming up with new and increasingly environmentally-friendly ways to construct the buildings of the future, and SIP wall panels are quickly becoming a part of that future.
Heat Loss, and how SIP wall panels can stop it!
This article covers the six different ways our homes lose their heat, and how SIP wall panels can reduce heat loss! The reason that we insulate our homes and buildings is to hinder, or stop heat loss altogether. While it sounds easy enough – it can actually be a difficult process sometimes
This article covers the six different ways our homes lose their heat, and how SIP wall panels can reduce heat loss!
The reason that we insulate our homes and buildings is to hinder, or stop heat loss altogether. While it sounds easy enough – it can actually be a difficult process sometimes, especially since there are six major ways that we lose heat from a building.
The first is conduction, which is the transferring of heat between multiple objects that are in contact with one another. For example: a coffee carafe receives its heat from the element in the coffee maker.
Convection, or the transfer of heat through liquid or gas to a surrounding area or material is second. This is like the principle that hot air will rise, while cold air will fall ( the heat is redistributed).
The transferring of heat through electro-magnetic wave is the way of radiation! For example, this is how the Earth is heated by the sun.
The three principles above are the primary sources of heat transfer (heat loss), but there are also three secondary types of heat loss, listed below:
Moisture accumulation, or the absorption of moisture by insulation materials, will also cause direct damage to the insulation and inhibit it from doing its intended job. This will contribute directly to heat loss.
Air intrusion is caused when air manages to find its way into call cavities. It does not necessarily cause drafts within the building, but it does directly affect the insulation within your walls, causing damage to the insulation itself.
Air filtration can cause heat loss. The transferring of heat when air pressure is different between the inside and outside of a building – this can cause air to be forced in or out, dragging cold air in during winter months, and pulling cold air out in the summer months.
Because SIPs have closed cell insulation, many of these problems (such as moisture accumulation) will never be an issue in SIP built homes and other buildings.
Stay Warm this Winter with SIP Wall Panels!
Strength, R Value, and more! Stay warm this winter with SIP wall panels! SIP wall panels are strong, stable, and waterproof – unlike wood and concrete counterparts out there. Moisture has the ability to compromise the integrity of concrete and wood framing, which leads to cracking foundations and even more exposure to air and moisture
Strength, R Value, and more! Stay warm this winter with SIP wall panels!
SIP wall panels are strong, stable, and waterproof – unlike wood and concrete counterparts out there. Moisture has the ability to compromise the integrity of concrete and wood framing, which leads to cracking foundations and even more exposure to air and moisture. This creates mould growth, water damage, poor air quality and even poorer insulation (R-Value).
Buildings built with SIPs are stronger than typical wood framing buildings. Loads are distributed evenly across panels rather than a system of conventional stick built framing where weight is unevenly distributed to load-bearing sections. SIP paneled homes have withstood tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes – that is something to be proud of.
When it comes to insulation and heat loss, SIPs experience little to none! They have a high R-value, which is consistent year after year. One of the reasons behind this is the insulation itself. SIPs contain closed-cell insulation made up of a foam core (usually expanded polystyrene). Insulation such as fibreglass is considered an open-cell insulation, meaning that: it is low density, has many open air spaces that can allow air movement and moisture to seep through, and has low to poor insulating ability. Closed-cell insulation like EPS is high density, making it airtight and high insulation ability.
SIP wall panels help to minimize heat loss because there is no wall cavity – that means that there is also a great air-barrier – a critical component in home building Air barriers control air leakage into, and out of the building. A good air barrier will help to prevent energy loss, reduce moisture leakage and condensation (leading to mould growth) and drafts!
