Why are Envirosips structural insulated panels much better?
Sips or structural insualted panels save time, money, and energy. They outperform many other building methods in virtually every aspect because of the structural strength, ease of erection, and insulation value of the components.
When someone says "U-value", what they are talking about is resistance to heat flow in a given medium, such as fiberglass insulation. The lower the number, the greater the resistance to flow. Thus, a product with a value of 0.25 w/m2 K is much better than a product with a value of 0.45 w/m2 K.
In reality, this reasoning doesn't take into account all the other components that go into making a wall: wood or steel studs every 16 or 24 inches reduce the overall U-value, and allow airflow within the wall space. In addition, other construction materials and components, such as bracing, nails or screws, wiring and switch boxes, and any number of things that are not insulation, and, in all likelihood, have low U-values, negatively affect the overall quality of an insulated wall, floor, or ceiling. Poor installation of fiberglass batt insulation can also reduce the U-effect significantly. A wall with fiberglass insulation rated at R-13 can have an actual result of R-10 or less due to these other factors.
