What Is The R Value Of Vinyl Siding

Manufactured with rigid foam plastic insulation laminated to thje siding.

What is the r value of vinyl siding.

On its own vinyl siding is no better than cement board however it is now possible to buy vinyl with built in insulation. Usually it costs around 2 dollars a square foot which roughly translates to about 7 000 when installed in an average sized home. The average price of insulated vinyl siding material is 2 25 to 3 50 per square foot depending on the brand profile and color. Some sources cite r 2 13 2 27 30.

The foam back provides at least 3 times or more the r value while increasing the cost by at most 3 times or usually doubling it. As we said before the r value measures the thermal resistance of a material. Many insulated selections that can increase your home s r value have earned energy star ratings. Georgia pacific s seasons insulated siding can add an r value of up to 2 8 to your exterior walls in a choice of 14 colors.

Astm d7793 requires insulated siding to demonstrate a minimum r value of 2 0. The r value of cement board or measure of insulating qualities is around r 0 50 which is very low when one considers that fiberglass matting has an r value of r 19. The insulation does add some r value to a wall but only a modest amount typically estimated at r 2 to r 2 7. 1 16 0 175 to 3 32 0 093 thick vinyl siding hollow backed.

On the other hand lp smartside siding can cost up to twice the amount of the vinyl cost making it a more expensive choice. It s pretty easy as a building science wonk to dismiss this product. For hollow back and 7 50 to 12 50 per sq. The r value of insulated vinyl steel and aluminum siding when you choose one of these siding products backed with quality foam insulation you will increase the r value of the siding to 3 0 4 0.

For instance if you have a material with an r value of 12 attached to another material with an r value of 3 then both materials combined have an r value of 15. This breaks down to 5 50 to 8 50 on average per sq. For foam back and or deluxe vinyl siding. That s a remarkable improvement and that will make a tangible difference in how much energy is saved in your home.

What impact does the eps have on the moisture performance of conventional wood framed exterior walls. Certainteed s cedarboards insulated siding offers r values up to 2 7 and thicknesses that may reach 1 1 4 inches. The added r value of eps is r 2 to r 2 7. That is it s not that the insulation makes a home much more energy efficient.

The primary benefit of insulated vinyl is not what most people expect.