6 Engineered Wood Products That Boost EfficiencySpeed, efficiency, and new codes propel interest in engineered wood.
- By Evelyn Royer
- Source: BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine
- Publication date: 2011-09-15
Level by Weyerhaeuser. Designed to help meet the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code and 2011 Energy Star for Homes standards, TJ Insulated pre-assembled products add a layer of insulation to reduce thermal bridging. The rim boards and structural corners are backed with foam to achieve thermal values of R-10 and R-30, respectively, and a header sandwiches the insulation between laminated strand lumber and OSB for an R-17 rating. The products are available in standard dimensions. 888.453.8358. www.ilevel.com.
When builders think of going green in coming years, which products are they most likely to put into their homes? After low-E windows, it’s engineered wood beams, trusses, and joists, a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey found.
“It’s by far the material of the future,” says builder Al Durden of SF Communities in Macon, Ga., adding he’ll never go back to dimensional lumber for roof trusses or floor joists even though I-joists and LVL trusses cost more up front. “When you factor in the time you save, the less material waste, it’s cheaper to use engineered wood by far.”
APA-The Engineered Wood Association predicts I-joist usage in new single-family homes’ floors, which shrank from 52% in 2008 to 43% last year, will climb back to 49% by 2014. Engineered wood products (EWP) are a more logical choice now that 20 states have adopted the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which calls for homes to be 15% more energy efficient than those built to the previous code.
To bolster R-values, iLevel by Weyerhaeuser introduced TJ Insulated rim boards and structural corners backed with foam to achieve thermal values of R-10 and R-30, respectively, and a header that sandwiches insulation between LSL and OSB for a R-17 factor.
Similar products such as rSTUD headers by EC Manufacturing, ExpressHeaders by SJS Components, and Ray-Core’s header systems offer more ways to meet the code.
Boise Cascade, meanwhile, seeks to make EWP even more popular by urging builders to put up homes that run HVAC ducts through conditioned spaces. Generally, that means routing ducts through EWP trusses between the first and second floors rather than putting them in cold basements and hot attics. Boise thinks its system can cut a home’s energy bill by 35%.
“The energy codes are becoming more and more stringent, so builders are trying to find the most cost-effective ways to meet those energy codes,” observes LP Building Products director of corporate marketing Rusty Carroll. And none too soon: The International Code Council (ICC) plans to tighten requirements in the 2012 IECC to boost energy efficiency by another 15%.
