 |
| The Advantage ICF System allows for flexible design, accommodating green building and other construction requirements. |
By Stephen Farrell - Energy Expert
Calgary Herald - August 09, 2003
Time to push building envelope for passive solar construction. As promised, I said I would continue my discussion on passive solar homes. The section of such houses that requires a lot of attention is the building envelope. This is the external skin of the home - the walls, roof, windows, doors, basement walls and floor. It is critical that the home be well-sealed and insulated.
When considering wall and roof insulation, there are other construction methods than the conventional ways to consider.
A very popular one involves SIPs (structurally insulated panel) systems. These are available in varying thicknesses and insulation values.
Because of the way they are manufactured in a controlled environment and their design, the effective insulation value can be considerably higher than conventional construction. One manufacturer achieves an R44 with its 6 ½ inch panel. This type of construction is also very desirable because of the air tightness that can be achieved, generally exceeding what we would normally expect. Please visit my Web site (www.verdatech-inc.com). Or you can go to www.advantageicf.com for more information on these systems.
Another option is the ICF (insulating concrete form) system.
This is a concrete wall system that is insulated on both sides using expanded polystyrene. Again, I suggest you go to www.plastifab.com for a more detailed description of this. One could use conventional construction and increase the insulation values of the walls by adding external rigid insulation, or creating a double 2X4 wall.
It consists of two 2X4 walls with the wall studs staggered to minimize the thermal bridging. As you can see, there are many options when talking wall insulation and construction. The roof also needs to be very well insulated, and as previously discussed, you are going to want to maintain an open plan type design to encourage air circulation.
For this reason, a good option for this type of roof is again an SIP type system. A conventional truss system can also work, but ensure there is enough depth to properly insulate the ceiling. If your home is going to be a true passive solar home, you may not have a basement because the floor would often be used as a heat sink (area to store energy) during the day.
If you do have a basement, ensure that it is again well-insulated. ICF is one option - conventional with rigid insulation installed externally is another, while SIPs foundation panels are another.
The Web sites previously mentioned will give you more information on these.
I have gone on far too long already, so I am going to leave the windows for my next column and then we can talk a little more about heat sinks, thermal storage, ventilation air, air circulation and all the other good stuff about building an energy-efficient home.
Thank you for your continued support. Keep sending your questions and comments to me at sfarrell@verdatech-inc.com and I will try to answer as many as possible.
Remember, you can also visit my Web site at www.verdatech-inc.com for more details on this and similar topics.
The preceding article can be found in the August 09, 2003 edition of the Calgary Herald and is used with permission
|
