BEACH CITY, Ohio  – The EPA’s ENERGY STAR program reports that the average American household spends more than $1,900 each year on energy bills, and that figure is destined to climb.  Doors and windows are among the most popular ENERGY STAR building products recommended for replacement because homeowners are well aware of their insulating value and return on investment.  But few homeowners are aware that insulated siding is an ENERGY STAR product that can generate even greater savings by reducing energy consumption by up to 20%.

Insulated siding is home siding that includes a rigid foam insulation fused behind the exterior surface of the siding panel.  Because the insulation is precision cut and contoured to fill the gap between the siding and home, insulated siding delivers an average system R-value* of 3.96, more than triple that of any other exterior cladding.  In comparison, popular products like fiber cement, brick and manufactured stone veneer offer almost no insulation, with average R-values of 0.15 to 0.62. 

Pat Culpepper, President of Progressive Foam Technologies, Inc. and the inventor of insulated siding, describes the product as the “fifth dimension of energy savings.”  “People know about the four most common ways to insulate their home – by upgrading doors and windows and sealing the roof and foundation.  But the wood framing within their walls is a significant area that most people fail to address,” said Culpepper.  “Up to 40% of energy is lost through the wood studs, which conduct heat and cold. That’s the fifth dimension.”

Wall studs make up 25% of the wall surface of an average home. “That’s like having one whole wall in your home that is not insulated,” according to Culpepper. “Each of those studs is a thermal bridge that allows warm or cool air, depending on the season, to pass right through the wall.”

Insulated siding breaks that thermal bridge by insulating continuously over the framing of a home, where temperature loss is greatest. “That gives homeowners an energy savings of up to 20%, along with a beautiful exterior and almost no maintenance,” said Culpepper.

Insulated Siding: Return on Investment
Insulated siding typically costs 20-30% more than traditional siding, but homeowners can earn the investment back by reducing what they spend to heat and cool their homes. And according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 51% of recently surveyed home buyers said they were willing to invest $5,000-$10,999 in their homes if energy costs could be reduced by roughly $1,000 a year. 

In today’s environment, consumers have come to recognize that installing ENERGY STAR products like insulated siding can make a big difference in conserving energy, reducing their carbon footprint and saving money.

Insulated Siding is available through a range of premium siding manufacturers including Alcoa Home Exteriors, Alside, CertainTeed, Crane Performance Siding, Heartland Building Products, Mitten Inc., Norandex/Reynolds, KP Building Products, Revere Building Products, RMC/Style Crest and Variform. Fullback Technology, the application of contoured, high-performance EPS foam to any exterior siding product, is manufactured by Progressive Foam Technologies, Inc. at its headquarters in Beach City, Ohio. 

For further information, go to www.chooseinsulatedsiding.com.