Recent studies that have been sponsored on the behalf of NYSERDA, insulated vinyl siding has demonstrated that it contributes to energy consumption savings as well as savings in CO2 emissions and energy costs, which means that insulated vinyl siding is capable of outperforming fiber cement when these environmental measures and energy measures are compared between the two materials. These studies were recently conducted by a group called Newport Ventures as a part of the High Performance Residential Development Challenge on the behalf of NYSERDA. The studies included the analysis of homes that were in Saratoga Springs and Burnt Hills in New York.
In the Burnt Hills area, researchers performed a field test of the two products side by side, comparing fiber cement and insulated vinyl siding to one another. The test was conducted in the winter time on a two story colonial home that was built by a company called Stewart Construction. According to a thermal imaging comparison, there was clearly far less heat loss when it came to the insulated vinyl siding in comparison to the heat loss experienced by the fiber cement.
In addition to this side by side field test, researchers used a whole building energy simulation tool known as REM/Rate to evaluate the relative performance for each product. This analysis ended up finding that on average, the specification of the insulated vinyl siding compared to fiber cement would be able to provide an expected savings every year of $56 dollars just in electric utility and natural gas costs, as well as savings of 3.2 million Btu an 448 pounds worth of CO2 in a single year.
In the Saratoga Springs area, a single story home built by the Belmonte Builders company received the insulated vinyl siding. This home was the first Gold Rating home in the capital region of New York, with the Gold Rating coming from the LEED certification, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification offered by the United States Green Building Conference. By installing insulated vinyl siding, a home can achieve as many as three points under LEED, and as many as 205 points for the Green Building Standard, National ICC 700-2008.
The single story Saratoga Springs home also managed to confirm that both curb appeal and environmental performance are capable of going hand in hand. During an open house, 68 percent of visitors participating in a survey reported that they felt that the insulated vinyl siding was very attractive. 95 percent of those surveyed agreed that the visual appeal of the insulated vinyl siding was better than the average.
NYSERDA is the Energy Research and Development Authority for New York State. This is a public benefit group that focuses on the research and development of projects relating to environmental effects of the consumption of energy, the development of resources that are renewable and the advancement of technologies that are innovative.
Photo Credits: Alside
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