Title 24 & High Performance Wall Solutions:Structural Insulated Panel Systems (SIPS)

STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANEL ASSOCIATION (SIPA)

California SIPS Structures

Why SIPS Walls, Attics & Enclosures? • SIPS enclosures increase energy

efficiency and reduce the demand for cooling/heating resources by up to 58% over stick framed construction

• Install 50% average faster than Sticks• Ideal when you need your building

envelope to perform beyond solar/PV (proposed for 2019 codes)

• The only non-concrete based enclosure (roof, walls & floors) product accepted to meet Title 24 thermal enclosure requirements

SIPS & Title 24

Controlling air exchanges is critical to gaining energy efficiency. This is recognized within Title 24 and as such, SIPS are deemed to comply and are the only approved non-concrete building method:

SIPS are 1 of 4 Title 24 approved

assemblies offering minimal air leakage

California’s 2016 Building Energy Efficiency Standards

SIPS Basics: Extreme EfficiencyAs Title 24 recognizes, the key to constructing an energy efficient enclosure is to minimize air transfer (hot and cold air). There are two ways heat moves where we don’t want it to…

Air TransferConvective Looping (wasted & trapped

energy)

HEAT LOSS CULPRIT #1

HEAT LOSS CULPRIT #2

SIPS Offer Extreme Efficiency

Continuous Insulated Panels address heat loss (air exchanges) and easily reduce a structure’s energy consumption by up to 58%. Air tightness = Efficiency.

2”x6” Stick Framed Construction

SIPS FramedConstruction

15 Times More Airtight

SIPS: Proven Efficiency & Code Approvals

• SIPS have more than 40 years of in-field testing showing exceptional HERS ratings well below IECC required air exchanges and leakage.

• As a result, the DOE (through Energy Star) recognizes how consistently air tight and efficient SIPS are and has waived the requirement for blower door tests nationwide.

• Other Code Approvals*: ICC and NTA, LARR accepted, Seismic Zones D,E & F approved….

* Not all SIP manufacturers have all approvals. California based Premier Building Systems (Only CA SIPS Manufacturer) does!

SIPs BEST for California Energy Incentives & CodeClimate Zone 4: San Jose (Coastal Cities zones 1 – 7 & 16 similar)

Note: Utility incentives (CAHP) only start with EDR less than 48 for Climate Zones 1 – 7 & 16

1 story 1712 ft2 home

2016 Base Home SIP SIP (thicker roof) SIP (nail base roof)

Walls R21 + R4 CI (2 x 6) R-23 (SIP 6.5”) R-23 (SIP 6.5”) R-23 (SIP 6.5”)

Ceiling/attic R-38 none none R-38

Roof deck R-13 (below) R-30 (SIP 8.25”) R-37 (SIP 10.25”) R-14 (half SIP 4”)

Energy Design Rating (EDR)

47.4 43.4 43.0 44.1

Utility incentive $ $1100 $1800 $2000 $1600

% Better than 2016 code

6.1% 27.1% 28.9% 24.1%

Add’l savings None HVAC, air sealing, labor (framing & electric), no exterior insulation

Builder Benefits … Beyond Title 24SIPS Offer …

• Faster close in, installed in less than half the time compared to conventional framing (case studies to come @ 55% labor savings)

• Play catch up after wet building season start• Earlier move in/ sales dates• Shorter financing terms to carry• Reduced air infiltration - lower ACH (Many SIPS structures meet Passive

House criteria without additional systems added)• Tighter structures reduce HVAC requirements (Case studies show 5 ton

units turn into 3 ton units with SIPS structures)• No special requirements for trades (lower cost subs – details to come)• Extreme design flexibility • Code approvals in seismic zones D,E & F• Less time on the job for laborers (less insurance)• Faster/Fewer Inspections

What exactly are SIPS?

SIPS Basics

• Serves as turn key structural and insulated high performance framing systems Replace exterior walls, floors and roofs

• Replaces exterior shell framing components (Stick/Truss, CMU, ICF, Steel Studs, Tilt-up, etc.)

• Up to 58% more energy efficient than 2”x6” STICK FRAME construction

• Proven system in the field for more than 40 years

• Warranted (unlike other framing options)

• Manufactured in Premier Building System’s large west coast, for engineered accuracy

• Large panels with OSB skins laminated with a structural adhesive to an insulated core are shipped to the site ready to install

• Incorporated air barrier (OSB)

• Structurally stronger than 2”x6” construction which it replaces

• Factory engineered accuracy eliminates variations found in conventional lumber (straight, plumb walls)

In the Field SIPS Simplify Construction in California

Slow start to the year? SIPS install faster & help you catch up…

Installation Advantages

• Faster Install (no studs to find) – less laborers needed

• Pre-cut panels install with minimal laborers (addresses current labor shortages!)

• Panels connect with insulated Splines• Less trimming means less mess & virtually no

costly SIP jobsite waste to send to the landfill• Factory cut edges for accuracy and square edges• Every screw grabs – no spinners• Large panels simply assembled, removing much of

the liability of other framing methods

SIPS Simplify Construction in California

When 3 Work?

SIPS1.SIP = Exterior wall sheathing, continuous cavity insulation, sheathing for siding attachment2.Weather resistive barrier3.Siding

Why Use 7 Steps

STICK FRAMING1.Sick framed wall2.Exterior wall sheathing3.Insulate wall cavity4.Continuous insulation5.Sheathing or furring for siding attachment6.Weather resistive barrier7.Siding

Send the plans to the SIP manufacturer.• Produce shop drawings showing every panel and where

each one goes• Fabricate the panels (cut windows, door, width, height) for

your specific house

How do sips make a house?

How do sips make a house?

• Fast install, regularly 55% faster $$$• No Mechanical if not really needed $$$• Slide panels to locations • Tilt panels and slide together• Drop into place• Install all screws at corner as you go• Plumb and level corners. • Check plane levels every few panels $$• Use minimal (or none) bracing $$

Wall Installation Savings

How do sips make a house?

• Use Rigging on the first couple panels only $$• Use the first couple panels as a staging area• Slide panels to locations instead of carrying. Use furniture

dollies to move across the roof• Start at one corner, nail, then slide in other corner• Double nail the top if you can’t get to the underside $$

Roof Installation Savings

SIPS in Roofs, Attics & Cathedral Ceilings

• Up to 20’ spans• Large panels for fast installation• Proven structural capacities result in option

to eliminate trusses for cathedral ceilings• Can cantilever up to 12 feet depending on

the loadin• Long Spans - $$$• No Dry-Wall sag - $$$• No Dry-Wall cracking - $$$• Can use an 8’ plate height and still achieve

the tall ceiling feel - $$$

Connection Basics

• Panels attach together using splines• Corners attach using screws

Sub Contractors

SIPS Simplify Construction in California

Majority understand the simplicity of SIPS & their trade.

Trade Advantages

Openings and wall lengths are accurate (factory controlled manufacturing)

Offers advantages for subs throughout the project construction process…

• Windows line up from floor to floor• Doors and windows are installed faster• Cabinets and counter tops plumb• Flooring always fits• Millwork installs quickly, no bowed walls• No shims required• Nail anywhere

SIPS & HVAC Systems

• Reduce mechanical systems • Can use 3 ton AC unit (in Palm

Springs!) rather than 5-6 ton … or simplify with multiple mini-split units

• Smaller HVAC systems offer significant cost savings

• Smaller & more efficient ventilation systems can be used

Tighter more efficient structures = Smaller HVAC

~ $752~ $1552

~ $863

• Consider where the HVAC ducts will go:•HVAC ducts will be in conditioned space -$$$

•Plan to drop ceilings in bathrooms, closets, and hallways to give space for the ducts

•Add soffits if necessary to get the ducts to all parts of the house

•Don’t forget returns

HVAC Considerations

• Plumbing is not typically an issue with SIPs:• Water and gas lines may pass through a SIP wall from

the outside to the inside by simply drilling a hole• Plumbing lines should not be placed in an exterior

wall regardless of the wall type• Water lines cannot run inside a SIP, so if plumbing is

required on an exterior wall, furring may be necessary

Plumbing

What about Electrical?

Built in chases• Horizontal at outlet and switch levels• Vertical about every 4’-0” or as

requested

Easy to push/pull cable (fish tape)• Can use Romex

Large school in Las Vegas, saved $1M in electrical install

• Consistency in install• Simply pulling wires through chases

Seismic & Shear

SIPS Simplify Construction in California

•Conventionally framed shear walls are almost always designed as distinct shear panels

•Each shear panel acts alone and will require hold downs and extra lumber - $$$

Shear Walls

• SIPs act as a rigid diaphragm for the entire length of wall• Should be designed as a Perforated Shear Wall - $$$

2 - Shear walls

Hold Downs

•HTT Hold down - $$$ Strap Hold down - $$$

• Most openings do not require “headers”, the SIP panel will support the loads. $$$

• Either cut an opening in a panel or build an opening with panels around it.

• No Trimmers. $$$

Headers

• Used for larger spans and/or heavy loads

• Typically placed at the TOP of the wall $$$

• Reduce Thermal Bridging!

• Require Trimmers

Headers are Insulated

•Several Parts to assemble $$$

•Creates a hinge•Skins must bear on beam

Wood & Insulated Hybrid Headers

•Place Header inside SIP $$$

•Use Nails for Shear•Staggered rows of 4 16d nails at 6” o.c. will carry a TON of load

Insulated Headers

• Used to transfer load from wall above an opening to the walls beside an opening

• SIP walls use the skin so a King Stud would have no load

• King Studs are not required in SIP walls $$$

King StudsIn Stud Wall

King Studs

•Most Beams Only Require a Pocket with out a Post $$$

•Some May Require a Post $•Few May Require a Strap $$

Post

Straps2x Bucks

Beam Pockets

• Framing – Load goes straight down the post. Becomes a point load for the next level down

• SIPs – Distributed through the skin similar to a CMU wall and becomes a linear load for the next level down $$$

Columns & Posts

• Eliminate thermal bridging of lumber –higher R-Values

• Splines don’t expand/contract with seasonal temperatures

• Reduced stucco/drywall cracks, nail pops for fewer call backs!

• Spline vs Lumber - $$$

Spline Connection Benefits over Sticks

• With conventional framing every opening has a header of some type so going from (2) 2x4 to (2) 2x8 is not a big cost factor

• With SIPs, most openings do not need headers. Designing the framing so the larger loads fall on smaller windows and not on larger windows could mean no headers at all - $$$

•Turn KEY NET ZERO ENERGY READY! (Proposed 2019 Energy Codes, you cant get this with Solar alone. )

Structural Framing Considerations

Framing With SIPS

SIPS Simplify Construction in California

•Typically use a 5 person crew for walls & roofs•2 people installing the panels•2 people preparing the next panel for installation.

•1 person getting mastic, cutting, help lifting, etc.

Crew – Frame in days, not weeks

Smaller Crews, Faster Install = Key for skilled labor shortage issues

SIPS Install Faster: RS Means & BASF Study

• RS Means is the industry standard for labor studies

• Evaluated two comparable homes, SIPS vs Stick

• This 2500 FT2 project reduced installation time by 130 labor hours – 55% faster than conventional framing

55% Faster Installation

SIPs BEST for California Energy Incentives & Code

Climate Zone 10: Riverside (Coastal Cities zones 8 –15 similar)

Note: Utility incentives (CAHP) only start with EDR less than 44 for Climate Zones 8 – 15

2 story 2686 ft2 home

2016 Base Home SIP SIP (thicker roof) SIP (nail base roof)

Walls R21 + R4 CI (2 x 6) R-23 (SIP 6.5”) R-23 (SIP 6.5”) R-23 (SIP 6.5”)

Ceiling/attic R-38 none none R-38

Roof deck R-13 (below) R-30 (SIP 8.25”) R-37 (SIP 10.25”) R-14 (half SIP 4”)

Energy Design Rating (EDR)

45.7 42.4 41.9 42.8

Utility incentive $ $0 $1150 $1300 $1150

% Better than 2016 code

4.6% 22.3% 24.5% 20.9%

Add’l savings None HVAC, air sealing, labor (framing & electric), no exterior insulation

Additional SIPS Advantages

Large strong panels with few seams, virtually eliminate settling issues common in stick framing (AKA - Callbacks!):

• Stucco Cracks - $$$• Window or Door Sticks - $$$• Nail Pops - $$$• Drywall hole repair• Exterior is less likely to get damaged,

sustains less damage & easier to repair• Interior of exterior walls are fully sheathed-

$$$• No drywall holes, only scrapes• Easy to repair drywall damage - $$$

Warranted Advantages

• Chances are, when comparing warranties to conventional or advanced framing, you won’t find much.

• With Premier SIPS, we offer a limited 20-year warranty* for a building owner’s peace of mind.

50 Years of SIPS Advantages

We know change isn’t ideal. In this case SIPS framing & enclosures offer change for the better:

• Efficiency as outlined previously• SIPS install fast, and require minimal trained

framing labor• Contractors and Developers ready to step up their

structures have converted and won’t look back• Building Science experts recommend SIPS• The SIPA (Structural Insulated Panel Association)

has decades of project data available to demonstrate all of these advantages

SIPS Manufacturing

• Owned by publicly traded $2B+ (in 2015) Carlisle Construction Materials (NYSE: CSL)

• Offers sound thermal and structural warranty (not received with lumber)

• Been manufacturing for the last 50 years

• Technical Division to support code, engineering and related design questions

• Proven experience & portfolio

West Coast Production Facility & Manufacturer Highlights• Customer’s “Builder Excellence” and

“DOE Energy Value Housing” award recipient

• Green Builder Magazine’s 2016 “Brand of the year”

Proven Performance

High Performance Case Studies SIPS in Action

SIPS & Passive: Menlo Park, CA Home

• Passive home by Clarum Homes

• SIPS Walls & Roof • Reduces energy

consumption over standard construction by 90%

• Similar passive projects by Clarum in Palo Alto, and Los Gatos

90% Reduced Energy Consumption

HERS rating of 100 reflects minimum 2006 IRC thermal compliance

SIPS Simplify Standards: Twin Mountain Home

• SIPS Walls & Roof• 2012 IECC requires < 3 ACH,

SIPS structures easily surpass this and often reach Passive Home standards

• This home exceeds passive house standards (0.60 ACH50), testing at 0.37 ACH50

• Impressive HERS Rating of 32 –A “Great” score according to ResNet (70 being “Admirable”)

Exceed Passive Standards

SIPS: Bellingham Power House

• 2,700 FT2 residence • Won Annual Housing Innovation

award by the US DOE• HERS rating of 15• Blower door test: 0.64 ACH• Received $10,500 federal energy tax

credit• Provides surplus energy to power the

owner’s car for about 10,000 miles per year.

Net Zero energy