SIPs For Homeowners
Welcome to Timberline Panels
Timberline Panel clients believe in building greener, more sustainable and more energy-efficient homes for themselves and their families. Homes have a tremendous impact on the environment – both during construction and through the life cycle of the building. Choosing to build a Timberline Panel home is an important component in minimizing your home’s effect on the ecosystem and reducing overall energy consumption. And the direct result for you and your family? Lower energy bills and a safer and healthier living environment.
Most of the energy used in homes is for heating and cooling. The exterior shell of the building is critical for energy efficiency and occupant comfort. Timberline SIPs make use of a thick core of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) which creates both high R-Values (a measure of the resistance to the passage of heat) and low U-Values (a coefficient of heat transfer). Foam construction eliminates the voids and thermal bridges common in conventional stud framing and Fiberglass insulation. In SIP construction the rigid insulation blankets the entire structure in a well-sealed envelope. Less air leakage means fewer drafts, less sound transmission, and a much more comfortable indoor environment. Molds, mildews, and dust are reduced. Timberline SIP-enclosed buildings are more fire resistant than stick frame buildings because there are no air cavities in the walls to create the ‘chimney effect’. Air temperature and quality are easily controlled, which drastically reduces energy consumption and thus heating and cooling costs. SIPs have been shown to need 1/100th of an air change per hour to heat or cool outside air to room temperature. Conventional homes often average between one and two air changes per hour. Audits continue to prove that money is saved year after year in these super-insulated, airtight structures. Often energy bills can be reduced by 40% or more by switching to Timberline SIP enclosures.
A home built with Timberline SIPs is kinder to the environment in other ways as well. Using SIPs greatly reduces CO2 emissions over the course of the home’s lifetime. SIPs also reduce construction waste since they can be delivered to the site pre-cut, complete with window and door openings, to exact dimensions. Each panel contains the insulation, structure, and moisture barrier of the wall system. EPS – the insulation – is manufactured without the use or production of CFCs or HCFCs, and it is recyclable. There is no off-gassing issue to be concerned about. Our SIPs utilize Oriented Strand Board (OSB) as the sheathing and facing material that sandwiches the insulation. OSB reduces wood use by as much as 35% and reduces pressure on mature forests by allowing the use of smaller farm-grown trees that can be regenerated in 5-10 years. Exterior grade plywood, for example, requires more mature timber. In so many different respects, building with Timberline SIPs is a far greener method of building than conventional stick framing.
CONGRATULATIONS ON CHOOSING SIP CONSTRUCTION FOR YOUR NEW HOME!
