How XPS Sheathing Meets Builders’ Energy Efficiency Needs

January 10, 2023 in Wood Products - #distribution

Exterior insulated sheathing may seem like an added expense for some of your builder customers, but  continuous insulation provides a tremendous value for elevating homes’ energy efficiency, reducing thermal bridging, easing homeowner costs, and, more recently, meeting code requirements.

The most recent version of the International Energy Conservation Code continued to bolster the requirements for wall R-value, with prescriptive requirements that, in some climate zones, can only be met by combining interior cavity insulation with a layer of exterior XPS insulation such as DuPont™ Styrofoam™ Brand Residential Sheathing.

According to Builder magazine, the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requires the following wall insulation levels:

• Climate zones 6, 7, and 8: R-30 in the wall cavity or an R-20 cavity plus R-5 exterior insulation (R-20+5).
• Climate zones 4 and 5: R-20+5 or R-13+10
• Climate zone 3: R-20 cavity, R-13+5, or R-0+15
• Climate zones 1 and 2: R-13 cavity or R-0+10

The requirement for continuous insulation has been loosely adopted in a few markets, but acceptance is expected to continue to grow.

Builders can only get so much R-Value out of a 2x4 stud cavity, so a +R-5 exterior offers an option for those builders to increase efficiency of the wall without changing their framing practices.

DuPont Styrofoam Brand Residential Sheathing provides sturdy protection against the impacts of moisture and air and boosts effective R-value in exterior walls by 20%. With an R-value of 5.0 per inch, the sheathing makes it easy for your customers to add continuous insulation and meet the R-value requirements of the IECC. Even for areas where the most recent codes haven’t been adopted, exceeding current codes can help homeowners save on energy costs and increase the comfort level of their homes.

Weyerhaeuser Distribution is committed to delivering the reliable, consistent products you can rely on. Connect with your Weyerhaeuser representative today about the exterior cladding solutions available in your market.