Comparative Thermal Analysis of Structural Insulated Panels and Wood Frame Walls for Residential Buildings

This paper overviews the thermal performance of various wall construction assemblies including structural insulated panels (SIP) and wood frame walls based on laboratory testing and in-situ testing. Moreover, results from a series of simulation analysis are summarized to assess the thermal performance of residential buildings constructed with SIPs for various locations in the US. The simulation results are utilized to developed a simplified analysis tool to estimate the energy use savings associated of utilizing any wall construction assembly SIPs instead of wood frame walls are discussed for selected US locations.