Building Performance
The energy that powers homes and commercial buildings is responsible for a large portion of greenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere. By reducing the amount of energy used in buildings, architects, builders, and homeowners can contribute to a clean environment for the future.
A SIP enclosed building envelope provides high levels of insulation and is extremely air-tight. As a result of this “thermal efficiency”, the amount of energy used to heat and cool your house can be reduced by up to 50% over what you might typical experience in a conventionally built home.
SIPs make such a large contribution to energy efficiency that two of the first three LEED Platinum homes in the US were built with SIP envelopes. Energy Star exempts SIP-built homes from the 17-point thermal bypass insulation inspection and blower door tests required for qualification in the program.
A SIP enclosed building envelope provides high levels of insulation and is extremely air-tight. This means the amount of energy used to heat and cool a home can be cut by up to 50 percent.
Timberline SIPs have the following R-value ratings
| Overall Panel Dimension |
EPS Core Dimension |
Effective R-value |
| 4-1/2” | 3-1/2” | 16.5 |
| 6-1/2” | 5-1/2” | 24.7 |
| 8-1/4” | 7-1/4” | 30.4 |
| 10-1/4” | 9-1/4” | 42.5 |
| 12-1/8” | 12-1/8” | 52.0 |
The Importance of Ventilation
We recommend and strongly encourage the installation of a Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system in your home. Since a SIP enclosed building is extremely airtight, mechanical ventilation is required.
Ventilation systems bring fresh air into the building in controlled amounts and exhaust moisture laden and stale air to the outside. By limiting air exchange to controlled ventilation systems, all incoming air will be filtered for allergens and dehumidified with significantly improved air quality as a result. Additionally, proper ventilation is important for maintaining appropriate indoor humidity levels and optimum building performance.
Heating and Cooling - Smaller, More Efficient Systems
The high insulating properties of SIP enclosed buildings also enables the installation of smaller HVAC equipment than other building types. When working with an HVAC contractor, make sure their calculations take into account an accurate estimation of typically low levels of air infiltration in a SIP enclosed home. Proper HVAC sizing is crucial because an oversized HVAC system will fail to reach the steady operating rate the equipment was designed for. Short cycling HVAC equipment will be less energy efficient and require more maintenance than properly sized HVAC equipment.
