SIP Building System: Are SIP Homes Worth the Money?

Thanks to advances in technology, you can construct a quality and comfortable home that consumes less energy in heating and cooling. All you need are SIPs to do this. But, what is a SIP home and should you build one?

SIP stands for Structural Insulate Panel. In some ways, a SIP home is no different from the traditional “stick built” home, once finished, you can not tell from the outside appearance that it was a Structural Insulated Panel home. In fact, there is nothing magical about it. However, you will be amazed by its structure and ability to save energy.

A SIP home is made with engineered OSB exterior facings structurally laminated to an inner foam core. You can use these panels for walls, floor, and/or roof. Because of manufacturing and engineering techniques, SIP structural components tend to be much stronger than traditional framing.

The benefits of using SIPs

These panels tend to create tighter seals, thus protecting your home from the outside world. This way, they maximize the home’s energy consumption. However, the efficiency of SIP panels calls for more efficient windows and heating and cooling systems. This will ensure that the energy retained by your walls is not lost through other parts of your home. SIPs are thus considered “a green approach to building” because they reduce wood consumption during construction, and require less energy to cool or warm the home.

So, are they worth your investment?

Depending on material and labor cost in your area, a SIP home can cost anywhere between 3{13624d55b67f4b161de617d2e9d293368a3a357ee2b9d3c0f7245ef1c05927df}-5{13624d55b67f4b161de617d2e9d293368a3a357ee2b9d3c0f7245ef1c05927df} more than the traditional stick built home. However, it can reduce your home heating and cooling cost by up to 30{13624d55b67f4b161de617d2e9d293368a3a357ee2b9d3c0f7245ef1c05927df} to 60{13624d55b67f4b161de617d2e9d293368a3a357ee2b9d3c0f7245ef1c05927df} resulting in lower utility bills. And with the rising cost of fuel, you can continue realizing these benefits for years to come. Thanks to the high building cost, it makes sense living in the home for longer in order to realize return on your investment. SIP building system is fast, eco-friendly, economic, durable and energy efficient. SIPs are compatible with most of the available building system. SIP also adheres to all structural and fire code regulations. R-Control Sips are known for its capability of fighting against storms, high winds and earthquake.

In spite of being originally developed and incorporated into a durable home as far back as mid 1930s, structural insulated panels only gained significant attention from home builders in the 1970s. However, recent advances in technology, coupled with growing need for environmentally friendly solutions have made SIP building system one of the most sought after energy friendly building solution.