Discover the hidden benefits of Insul-Stud the “practically revolutionary” insulated wood stud inside the exterior wall cavity of this new home. Insul-Stud is a remarkable innovation in energy efficient homes. With the adoption of the 2021 IRC Energy code in Maryland and the District of Columbia, new homes in our area will soon have to comply with the “continuous insulation” requirement. The International Energy Code Council enacted this new requirement to combat the real energy loss due to “thermal bridging.”
Thermal bridging is the enemy of a well-conditioned interior environment by allowing heat and cold to pass through the un-insulated wood studs throughout the exterior walls of the house. Unfortunately, conventionally wood framed homes all have this inherent defect. The problem is that the insulation between the wood framing is at a significantly higher level than the adjoining wood studs, making the insulating value in the wall “dis-continuous”. R- Value is one way of measuring the insulating characteristics of any given material. The higher the R-Value the higher the insulating characteristics of the material. The R-Value of an Insul-Stud is 19 the R-Value of a solid sawn 2 X 6 conventional wood stud is 7 making Insul-Stud 2.5 times more energy efficient than the conventional wood stud. Moreover, the Insul-stud is equivalent to the insulating material right next to it (batt or blown insulation), thus achieving “continuous insulation.” Imagine for a moment when you sleep at night, and when you pulled the blanket up over yourself, that the blanket had 1-1/2” rips in it every fourteen inches that let chilly air in. That would be extremely uncomfortable. But this condition is what exists now for most conventionally framed homes in America.
With Insul-Stud inside the walls, this problem will be solved. The house will be 40% more energy efficient, whether heating or cooling and at the same time, it will make the homeowner more comfortable! Insul-Stud also eliminates the need for expensive exterior rigid foam, saving more money during construction.
And Insul-Stud has characteristics in the way it is made that benefit the environment. Insul-Stud uses 40% less lumber than standard 2 x 6 wood studs, thus achieving better use of our natural resources. The Insul-Stud is 30% lighter than wood studs thereby making it easier to ship requiring less machine energy, and easier to install at the jobsite requiring less human energy. And finally, Insul-Stud is quieter than a conventional wood stud because the foam core also blocks out noise!
We are excited to use Insul-Stud in our new home at 7924 Evans Ford Road. This will be the first home in Virginia to incorporate this fantastic innovation. Pictures and construction updates will follow soon.
Prevent Thermal Bridging
- Significantly reduce the production time
- Reduce jobsite waste
- Reduce the lumber consumption
- Increase production quality
- Decrease time-to-completion
