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Introduction: The Extended Plate & Beam Wall System - 2016

Introduction: Extended Plate & Beam Wall System

Extended Plate and Beam (EP&B) is an advanced wall system developed by Home In-novation Research Labs. EP&B provides a high-performing wall at reasonable cost and effort that meets or exceeds the prescriptive insulation requirements of the IECC for all U.S. climate zones.

Tagged:

Building Practices

Published:

2016

Getting Building Technology Accepted

As part of its strategic goal to increase the availability of decent, safe, and affordable housing in American communities, HUD has been involved in ongoing efforts to advance housing technology through its administration of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). This Federal initiative works to accelerate the creation and widespread use of advanced technologies to radically improve the quality, durability, environmental performance, energy efficiency, disaster resistance, and affordability of our Nation’s housing. New building products and technology can contribute to the development of safer, higher quality, and more disaster-resistant housing.

Published:

2002

Extended Plate & Beam Wall System

Home Innovation Research Labs studied the extended plate and beam (EP&B) wall system during a two-year period from mid-2015 to mid-2017 to determine the wall’s structural performance, moisture durability, constructability, and cost effectiveness for use as a high-R enclosure system for energy code minimum and above-code performance in climate zones 4–8.

Tagged:

Building Practices

Published:

2018

Extended Plate & Beam Construction Guide

Extended Plate and Beam (EP&B) is an advanced wall system developed by Home Innovation Research Labs as part of the Building America Research Program. This innovative configuration has been tested in the lab and in four different demonstration buildings in climate zones 4, 5, and 6.

Tagged:

Building Practices

Published:

2018

Performance of Windows in Walls With Continuous Insulation

Window openings in walls are a significant contributor to poor thermal performance because of thermal bridging through the framing members (e.g., studs, joists, plates, bracing) and because windows lack the thermal properties of insulation. Window installation guidance for walls with continuous insulation (CI) is critical for continued market growth of this energy efficiency technology. This research project offers window manufacturers a starting point and a potential path toward developing installation instructions for windows over CI. The objectives of the research include evaluating the common method for installing windows in walls with CI, as well as establishing acceptance criteria for evaluating the performance of windows installed in walls with and without CI.

Tagged:

Energy Performance, Insulation, Building Practices

Published:

2023

Quality: Hotspot Inspections

This package is companion information to the article “HotSpot Inspections,” appearing in the March 2000 issue of Professional Builder magazine.

Published:

2000

Moisture Performance of High-R Wall Systems

High-performance homes offer improved comfort, lower utility bills, and assured durability. The next generation of building enclosures is a key step toward achieving high-performance goals through decreasing energy load demand and enabling advanced space-conditioning systems. Yet the adoption of high-R enclosures and particularly high-R walls has been a slow-growing trend because mainstream builders are hesitant to make the transition. In a survey of builders on this topic, one of the challenges identified is an industry-wide concern about the long-term moisture performance of energy-efficient walls. This study takes a step toward addressing this concern through direct monitoring of the moisture performance of high-R walls in occupied homes in several climate zones. In addition, the robustness of the design and modeling tools for selecting high-R wall solutions is evaluated using the monitored data from the field. The information and knowledge gained through this research will provide an objective basis for decision-making so that builders can implement advanced designs with confidence.

Tagged:

Air Sealing Design, Building Codes, Building Practices, Energy Performance, Insulation, Green Building

Published:

2018

Energy Retrofitting Advanced Technologies in a Hot Climate: Henderson, Nevada

Energy retrofitting of existing homes has received much attention since the energy crisis of the mid-1970’s. Traditional energy saving upgrades have consisted of such measures as caulking, adding insulation and installing double pane replacement windows. In addition, there have been a number of technologies developed that are not yet widely accepted or understood. Many of these technologies have been identified by the PATH program and were considered for the energy retrofit as appropriate with respect to climate and site.

Published:

2007

Advanced Framing: An Examination of its Practical Use in Residential Construction

Advanced framing, also known as Optimum Value Engineering (OVE), is not new to home building. It was featured in kit homes offered by the Sears & Roebuck Company in the early 1900s (HUD, 2001), researched extensively in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and featured in a landmark publication, Manual of Lumber & Plywood Saving Techniques for Residential Light-Frame Construction (NAHB Research Foundation, 1971). Again in 1994, OVE framing techniques were revisited, updated, and featured in Cost-Effective Home Building (NAHB, 1994). Currently, provisions for several key OVE framing practices are found in model U.S. building codes (ICC, 2006).

Published:

2008

System Evaluations & Specifications: Advanced Header Framing Design for High-R Wall Systems

Advanced wall framing designs for residential construction have centered on reducing the framing factor of the wall system to allow more area for insulation materials. While maintaining structural performance characteristics, use of advanced framing techniques can reduce the lumber member count and the overall area of the wall that is made up of primarily solid wood components.

Published:

2009