SIPs are the 21st Century Building Material
Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are a high performance building system for green building construction. The panels consist of an insulating foam core, sandwiched between two structural facings, typically oriented strand board (OSB). SIPs are manufactured under factory controlled conditions and can be fabricated to fit nearly any building design. The result is a building system that is extremely strong, energy efficient and cost effective. Building with SIPs will save you time, money and labor.
SIPs have been around for over 40 years and have gone through several iterations since their introduction and now make one of thte best ways to enclose a net zero or passive house design.
The most common question I get is why aren’t more builders using SIPs? Simple, builders don’t pay for the energy your home uses. It is easier to just keep doing what I have always done. The second reason we don’t see more SIP projects in the Northwest is our energy is so cheap. Yes we gripe and complain about the cost in winter but $.07 a KWH is not expensive. Also when you compare our winters to the rocky mountains we have it pretty easy.
SIPs are used on countless certified building programs including LEED for homes, Home builders Association, Net Zero Homes, Passive House, Department of energy projects.
The reason they are used on so many projects is because they work. They are easy to work with and provide the three (3) elements every good building envelope needs.
