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Structured Insulated Panels |
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Advantages of SIPs
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The exterior shell of a building creates a
barrier from the elements for the comfort of
the inhabitants in a SIP home. Many
materials can be used to form that barrier,
but none can do it as energy efficiently, as
fast, as economically, and with as much
design flexibility as SIPs. SIP system
technology offers a number of advantages
over conventional framing methods. Such as:
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SIP Structures Are
Stronger:
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The structure of a SIP building is
superior to a stick-framed building
in terms of shear resistance, flexural
strength, compressive resistance, and uplift
resistance. When the panels are
connected, the house becomes a single unit. The pressure that this
single unit can take is more than any
pressure a
stick-framed house could ever be
submitted to. |
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SIPs have
undergone exhaustive testing by third-party
testing firms, and all the manufacturers are
more than happy to provide National
Evaluation Reports produced by the National
Evaluation Service, Inc,. if you wish to
review these tests. |
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However, a test
is just a test, and if you really want to
see the great performance of SIPs, you
should look to the real world for examples
of their strength. SIP homes have survived
earthquakes, hurricanes and large tornadoes
where stick-built homes around them have
crumbled. For example: Recently in
Florida, Hurricane Ivan left a path of
destruction behind him. While many homes
were destroyed, those built with SIPs are
still standing with just minimal damage done
to them, when all the houses around them are
flattened. Perhaps the neighbors will
rebuild using SIPs next time. |
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Another example
of SIPs extraordinary strength is in the
1993 earthquake in Kobe, Japan. A large
section of the city was devastated, but SIP
houses built with panels came through the
earthquake virtually unscathed. The sell of
SIPs have drastically increased since then
due to the structural integrity of the SIP
system. |
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Again, in March of 1998, a tornado struck
Clermont, Georgia and destroyed 27 homes,
including 7 near a SIP home. While the
owner of the SIP home lost 25 mature trees,
several which fell on the home itself, and
most of the homes shingles, the house
suffered absolutely no structural damage. |
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There are many examples of SIP homes
surviving Mother Nature's aggressive side.
The one thing in common with all these
stories is that SIP homes can take the
aggressive destruction of these storms or
earthquakes, and many people are starting to
learn that this means more security in an
uncertain world. |
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SIP Structures Offer Better Thermal
Performance: |
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Many
comparisons of stick-built
homes versus SIP built homes have been
conducted throughout the years. Each test
having varying
results depending on who conducted it
and what methods were used. |
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For example, in
1998 the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, completed thorough
testing of various wall configurations.
Results showed that a SIP wall with a 3 ½
in. EPS core had a 31% better insulation
value than a conventional wall framed with
2X4s and insulated with fiberglass batts.
The basic 3 ½ in.-core SIP wall also
performed better than the 2X6s stick-built
wall with fiberglass insulation. Even with
recent spikes in fuel costs, energy prices
will continue to climb, and the value of an
energy-efficient building-a SIP building,
for example- will increase. |
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What does this mean for those with SIP
homes? It means that you will continue
to save money, while other homes around you
are going to be spending more and more to
warm or cool their home. SIP homes
when compared to regular stick-built homes
of the same size, have electrical bills that
are two to three times lower. For
example, a 3500 sq. ft. home in Clear Lake,
Texas with seven A/Cs has an electric bill
during the summer of 900 dollars, while the
neighbor with the same size home and number
of A/Cs pays nearly 3,000 dollars a month
for electricity by the same provider.
The difference is clear. SIPs are very
energy-efficient and can save you lots of
money. |
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SIP Structures Erect
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280 |
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Urethane (rigid) |
14 |
1 |
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273 |
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290 |
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Nylon-6 |
17 |
1 |
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931 |
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950 |
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Polyacrylonitrile |
7 |
1 |
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1,201 |
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1,200 |
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Note: The National Research
council of Canada |
