The panel includes exterior sheathing, insulation, air barrier, vapor retarder, moisture barrier and structural walls. It consists of glass fiber reinforced thermoset polymer (FRT) skins bonded to rigid polyurethane foam by a chemical reaction during manufacturing, which eliminates any risk of delamination. The C-SIP 4 inch foam core, with an R-value of 26, will not settle, shrink or lose insulating value over time, CPBS says.
According to the company, C-SIP can replace multiple building products, including house wrap, with one product. Many house wraps, water resistive barriers and laminated or fibrous structural insulated panels suffer damage during installation and fail to prevent water intrusion before finish materials are applied.
The structural walls in the C-SIP system eliminate the need to convert studs to expensive 2 x 6 framing, in order to meet progressing energy codes with the added cost of extra insulation. Installation of the panels achieves 2012 energy code requirements and the tight building envelope created could deliver a substantial reduction in the required HVAC cooling load – as much as a 40 to 50 percent decrease over required cooling capacity for a building using conventional building materials.
