Home Energy Magazine: Continuous Insulation with Insulated Siding

Insulated siding was recently featured in the May/June 2011 edition of Home Energy Magazine. The article, titled “Insulated Siding Provides CONTINUOUS Insulation,” explains how insulated siding can increase a home’s energy performance and lower its HERS index. It also identifies how exterior home insulation can help builders comply with residential energy codes and build new homes that are Energy Star Qualified and more. You can find the article below.

Insulated Siding Provides CONTINUOUS Insulation  

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, vinyl siding is already the top-selling exterior cladding in the United States. The vinyl siding industry, however, would like more people to think of it as a cladding product with benefits—not just as exterior cladding. Insulated siding, for example, can help homeowners save energy. Recognized by energy codes and government programs alike as continuous insulation, insulated siding is the latest trend in home insulation. But to convince builders that the product will reduce thermal bridging, it’s important to understand how it is tested for R-value, and how it should be applied for best performance.

Cladding with Benefits

First introduced commercially in 1997, insulated siding is vinyl siding that incorporates a substantial thickness of rigid-foam plastic insulation, which is laminated or otherwise permanently attached to the vinyl. The insulation that is most commonly used for the purpose is expanded polystyrene (EPS), which is covered under ASTM C578 “Standard Specification for Rigid, Cellular Polystyrene Thermal Insulation.”…

<click here to download the full insulated siding article>

About insulated siding: Insulated siding is vinyl siding with contoured foam insulation that is laminated or permanently attached to the panel. In energy codes and energy efficiency programs, insulated siding is recognized as a form of “continuous insulation,” or insulation installed on the exterior of the building that helps reduce energy loss through framing or other building material.