At 8pm on August 26, the DIY Network series This New House will feature four side-by-side research homes constructed by the Zero Energy Building Research Alliance (ZEBRAlliance) in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Alliance members, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), built four 2,800 sq. ft. homes with identical designs and different building envelope systems to get real world data on the most cost effective technologies for zero energy homes.

Jeff Christian, the Director of the Buildings Technology Center at ORNL, spoke with Knoxville’s WBIR news team in April on the energy monitoring of the homes using simulated heat cycles, showers and even appliance use over the next two years.   When the study is complete, it will provide the building industry with concrete energy and cost data of how SIPs compare to advanced framing, EIFS, and cellulose insulation laced with phase change material.

For more information, visit the ZEBRAlliance website

In a recent interview with the University of Colorado newsletter, Inside CU, Herdt said, “We recently completed structural testing at CU’s engineering lab and BioSIPs have met or exceeded all SIP structural requirements.  The product that we currently have is almost ready for the marketplace. Our goal for five years from now is fiber-based products that can be completely exposed to the elements.”

Now, with grant funding from the Heimbold Foundation and the State of Colorado, Herdt and her team will construct an 18’x10’ test building in conjunction with Boulder’s ReSource, a local company offering salvaged building materials.

Read more at Green Building Elements

Here’s a snippet from the article:

This October, city and county building code officials from across the nation will gather in Charlotte, N.C., to cast one of America’s most significant energy, environmental and climate policy votes of 2010. Odds are it’s a vote that you’ve never heard about; ironically, its outcome is in the hands of your city’s employees.

At stake is a comprehensive proposal developed by our broad-based organization — the Energy Efficiency Codes Coalition (EECC) — to boost the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by more than 30 percent over its 2006 counterpart.

Cities in more than 40 states use the IECC to set baseline energy efficiency standards for residential construction.  It is also the only model residential energy code recognized in federal law and its adoption was linked to states’ receipt of State Energy Program funding under the $800 billion stimulus package enacted last year. The IECC is also the basis for legislation setting national efficiency improvement targets of 30 percent and 50 percent that has passed the full House of Representatives and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Read the full article at National Cities Weekly

2009 is the fifth consecutive year the industry has gained share in the residential market.  It is now estimated that the panelized building system accounts for between one and two percent of U.S. single family home starts.  SIPA Executive Director Bill Wachtler attributes much of the industry’s growth to the increasing popularity of green and energy-efficient homes.  SIPs are composed of insulating foam sandwiched between two structural facings, creating an effective thermal barrier that can save homeowners up to 50 percent on heating and cooling costs.

“The rising cost of energy and concern over global climate change has really pushed green building into the mainstream,” said Wachtler.  “SIPs give architects and builders an easy way to create an airtight building envelope that will improve the energy efficiency and durability of any home or light commercial building.”

Of the total 42 million square feet of SIPs produced in North America in 2009, 43 percent went to residential buildings, 32 percent to non-residential buildings, and the remaining 24 percent were used for non-building purposes, such as industrial coolers.  An estimated 1,300 commercial buildings were constructed with SIPs in 2009, including schools, retail stores and agricultural buildings.  Non-residential production declined 19 percent from the previous year.

“Like all industries we are affected by the recession and the drop in new construction,” said Wachtler.  “But the strong market share gains we’ve experienced in the residential market indicate that the SIP industry is likely to see a significant boost in production as the economy recovers.”

Several different combinations of materials are used to construct SIPs, but the basic concept remains the same.  The most popular facing materials are oriented strand board (OSB) and metal.  Plywood and other materials such as fiber cement board accounted for only 6 percent of SIPs used in building applications.

The survey also polled SIP manufacturers regarding their geographic distribution.  The top ranking regions for SIP use were the Mountain, East North Central (upper Midwest), and Pacific regions.

The new program requirements will go into effect on January 1, 2011 for single family homes in an abridged form labeled Version 2.5, in order to give the building industry adequate time to adjust to the new standards.  Version 2.5 is nearly identical to Energy Star 2011, with the exception that only the Air Sealing and Air Barrier sections of the new Thermal Enclosure Checklist (see below) will be enforced.  All other visual inspection checklists will be used but not enforced until 2012.

New Checklists

Several additional visual checklists will be added for the HERS rater to confirm along with the HERS Index requirements.  They include a ramped up version of the Thermal Bypass Checklist, now called the Thermal Enclosure Checklist, plus new checklists for Water-Managed Construction and HVAC.

The new Thermal Enclosure Checklist requires that builders install an air barrier that is fully aligned with the insulation and take steps to reduce thermal bridging.  The EPA’s Energy Star for Homes Director Sam Rashkin claims this will be a huge benefit for the SIP industry because it requires that other building systems undergo additional measures to meet the whole-wall insulating and air sealing benefits inherent in SIP construction.

“No matter what thermal envelope system is chosen by a builder, it is required to match or approximate the inherent advantages of an advanced wall system such as SIPs,” writes Rashkin, in an address to the SIP Industry.  “As a result, the SIP industry will be able to offer all ENERGY STAR builder partners a turn-key solution for meeting the new ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes 2011 requirements.”

HERS Index Target

For many builders, the most significant change will be the move from the current fixed HERS Index threshold to a variable HERS Index Target.  Similar to the current guidelines, Energy Star 2011 will offer a prescriptive and a performance option for meeting the program requirements.  Whereas builders taking the performance path under the current program are held to a fixed minimum HERS Index (85 for most of the U.S., and 80 in colder climates), the proposed revisions deliver a specific HERS Index Target for each individual home.

To determine the HERS Index Target, the energy rater will use RESNET accredited energy modeling software to theoretically add the energy-efficient measures from the Energy Star prescriptive requirements to the home that is being rated.  The resulting HERS Index will be the target that the home must meet or exceed to qualify under the performance path.

The EPA’s rationale for this new system is that it will deliver a more accurate energy-efficiency requirement that reflects the home’s orientation, fuel type, number of stories, and other factors that are not accounted for in a static HERS Index threshold.  Solar and other onsite generation systems will not count towards reaching the HERS Index Target.

The HERS Index Target also accommodates variations in state energy codes.  Should a local energy code be more rigorous than the Energy Star requirements, the local code will used to determine the HERS Index Target.

Home size adjustment

Large homes are subject to an additional size adjustment factor that will lower the HERS Index Target (the lower the HERS Index, the more efficient the home) to compensate for the higher carbon footprint of a larger home.  The EPA defines large homes as those exceeding the size of the average “Benchmark” home as described in the table below.  Homes larger than the Benchmark can use renewable energy to towards reaching the HERS Index Target, but only for the incremental change derived from the size adjustment.

Visit Energy Star for Homes for more information on the 2011 program requirements.

SIPA member Ferrier Builders – Ferrier Custom Homes recently completed the Zero Energy Casita, a 1,015 sq. ft. net-zero energy home outside of Lake Worth, Texas.  Already the home is creating quite a buzz, and has been featured in EcoHome Magazine, Mother Earth News Radio and website, Natural Life magazine, Jetson Green, Builder Magazine and several local publications.

What makes this home so special?  Company President Don Ferrier has been constructing elegant and extremely efficient homes for over 25 years, and this project is no exception.

“This home’s uniqueness is a combination of cutting edge technologies and systems with some very intelligent and attractive reuse of 85- to 150-year-old building materials,” said Ferrier.

Siding for the home was reclaimed from an 85-year-old barn and the wood flooring came from a 100-year-old deconstructed chicken coop. The exposed timber beams are 150 years old and the homeowners selected several antique whiskey barrels for rain catchment.

The home’s old world charm was paired with high performance technologies to achieve net-zero energy use over the course of a year.  During the design phase a thorough cost benefit analysis was performed to determine which energy-efficient and energy generating technologies would maximize the homeowner’s return on investment.  Unlike many other custom net-zero energy homes, Ferrier and the homeowner looked to add onsite generation only after the efficiency of the home had been determined using energy modeling.

SIPs are part of all of Ferrier’s projects.  SIPA member manufacturer FischerSIPS provided the panels for the project.  The SIP building envelope reduces heating and cooling costs and keeps ducts inside the conditioned attic space, preventing duct loss to the outside of the home and condensation.  Galvalume metal roofing that reflects 73 percent of the sun’s energy was installed over an airspace to limit solar heat gain.

“If you combine the reflective quality of the metal roof with the ability of the SIPs, you virtually stop radiation, conduction and convection,” said Ferrier.  “I believe that the most important rule of energy efficiency in this climate is to keep hot summer sun out of the house. Number two is airtightness and number three is great insulation. SIPs give me phenomenal results on numbers two and three.”

Ferrier looks to careful site planning and natural shading as the number one method of controlling solar heat gain.  A 50-foot-tall oak tree and 30-foot-tall shrubs provide natural shading, accompanied by window overhangs, a 12-foot porch and other passive solar design strategies.

Renewable energy comes from a grid-tied 3.7 kW wind generator.  The Casita is a part-time residence, and when the occupants are not using the energy that it generates, it will reverse the meter as they transfer power back to the utility through the power grid.

The home met the Emerald Level of the National Green Building Standard and was certified LEED-H Platinum, in addition to meeting the requirements of Energy Star, the Department of Energy Builders Challenge program and Green Built Texas.

For more photos and project information, visit http://www.zeroenergycasita.com

A recent article in the Seattle Times profiled a family that purchased a prefabricated kit home from PLACE Houses.  PLACE Houses is a relatively new partnership between PLACE Architects and DLH builders to offer four models of contemporary kit homes in the Pacific Northwest.

All the PLACE homes use structural insulated panels (SIPs) from Premier Building Systems as part of their mission to provide a home with low operating costs, low maintenance and fewer hassles.  Homeowners can customize their homes with different interior and exterior finishes—the Kirkland home above uses sustainable cork floors, formaldehyde free cabinetry and low-VOC paints.

Read more at the Seattle Times and Elle Decor

Former SIPA President and current board member Frank Baker is rebuilding his family’s cottage in Lakeside, Ohio after it was struck by a falling tree in June 2009.  The one-hundred year old cottage had been the beloved summer getaway of the Baker family for the past 15 years.  A thorough inspection determined that even the areas that didn’t take a direct hit were too compromised to be reused.

When the Bakers set out to rebuild the cottage, they wanted to use sustainable materials and an energy-efficient design strategy to reduce the environmental impact of the home.  As the founder of SIP manufacturer Insulspan and Riverbend Timber Framing in Blissfield, Michigan, Baker wanted to incorporate those products into his home.  SIPs were used for the above grade walls and roof to reduce air leakage and thermal bridging, while the exposed timber trusses add a historical feel to the home’s interior.

“We want to show people that eco-friendly building technology and historic character can go hand-in-hand,” Frank Baker said.

To further reduce heating and cooling needs, Baker used ICFs below grade and EPS insulation beneath the home’s concrete slab.   These modern elements were blended with many salvaged materials, such as the trim work, wood flooring and plumbing fixtures, to decrease the impact on the environment and match the aesthetic of the historic community.

The home is expected to meet the National Green Building Standard, a comprehensive points-based program that evaluates energy efficiency, water efficiency, site design, resource efficiency and indoor environmental quality.  Once completed, the Bakers plan to use the cottage as a demonstration project to help educate the public on sustainable construction.

See project pictures at the PFB sustainability website

The genesis of the SIPA evaluation report began with NTA, an inspection and certification agency based in Nappanee, Indiana.   NTA is one of the few product certification agencies certified under International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Guide 65 by the International Accreditation Service (IAS).  Under the ISO Guide 65 certification, NTA is responsible for developing the testing criteria, demonstrating code compliance and conducting ongoing quality assurance testing for the SIP manufacturers listed on the SIPA report.  According to NTA President David Tompos, this efficient approach enables SIP manufacturers to establish code compliance in just a few months.

“A lot of manufacturers struggled for a long time trying to get code reports because multiple organizations were involved,” he said.  “With a single organization responsible for the entire process things can happen much more quickly.”

One of the benefits of this alternative (as mentioned in an interview with the Federation of American Scientists on the SIPA website) is that material suppliers can be added to the report much faster than with traditional evaluation reports.  Because the testing results are shared with everyone listed on the report, manufacturers can add materials for a fraction of the cost.

Damian Pataluna, owner and President of SIP manufacturer FischerSIPS, points out that standardizing the quality assurance protocol among manufacturers has brought a higher level of quality to the industry.

“The SIPA code report has built an awareness that not all SIPs are created equal,” he said. “It is really going to help us move forward in producing a more consistent product throughout the industry.”

Pataluna noted that the relationship between the SIP manufacturers listed on the report and the certification agency is much different than the traditional evaluation method through ICC-ES.  NTA not only provides ongoing quality auditing for the manufacturers listed on the report, but according to Pataluna, they also assisted manufacturers with project-specific code approval issues that their customers experienced with local building officials.

“It has been quite a comfortable process working with NTA,” he said.  “They are very committed to the SIPA report and I’m really impressed with what I’ve experienced thus far.”

Architects and engineers designing with SIPs have the benefit of referencing one set of engineering data for multiple manufacturers.  NTA is currently in the process of creating a comprehensive design guide and accompanying software to further simplify the SIP design process.

“Most of the construction industry does engineering calculations using a computer model, and we are one of the few industries that doesn’t have it,” said Pataluna.  “When we make this available to architects and engineers, it is really going to open the doors to make it easier to specify and build with SIPs, especially in the non-residential arena.”

For more information on the SIPA code report, visit the SIPA website.

For more information on NTA, Inc, visit the NTA website.

USA Today editor Wendy Koch profiles an environmentally sustainable home every Friday in her column “Green House.”   On May 21, SIPA member Davis Frame held the spotlight with a  2,900 sq. ft. off the grid timber frame home in Sisters, Oregon.  The home uses salvaged lumber, energy-efficient structural insulated panels, low-flow plumbing fixtures, Energy Star appliances and a sizable 5.1 kW photovoltaic system.  It received a platinum certification from Earth Advantage, a nonprofit offering green home ratings in the Northwest.

Read the article at USA Today