Field Study of Modified Atmosphere Insulation Technology for Vinyl Siding Retrofit

Lead Performer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory—Oak Ridge, TN

Buildings

November 16, 2018

Lead Performer:  Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Oak Ridge, TN
Partners:
-- Royal Buildings Products – Columbus, OH
-- NanoPore Inc. – Albuquerque, NM
-- Newport Partners LLC — Davidsonville, MD
DOE Total Funding:  $2,630,000
FY18 DOE Funding:  $877,000
Cost Share:  $150,000
Project Term:  October 1, 2018 – September 30, 2021
Funding Type:  Lab Call

Graphic: Double-7” traditional insulated vinyl siding.

Double-7” traditional insulated vinyl siding.

Project Objective

A major portion of the U.S. housing stock has poorly insulated walls, while also needing exterior cladding replacement. Thinner insulation systems using advanced installation technologies are needed to reduce the cost of envelope retrofits and make them more affordable. The team members have successfully developed modified atmosphere insulation (MAI) systems achieving up to R12/inch. The project team will develop and field test technologies to reduce costs of building envelope retrofits by 50% compared to the state-of-the-art, focusing on high-performance vacuum insulation systems. Research will include evaluation of retrofit technologies, barriers and costs, and means to reduce costs with installation professionals. Automated manufacturing capability will also be investigated and tested.

The project team will continue development and field testing MAI technologies and composite siding systems comprised of MAI panels mated with vinyl and/or large-scale composite siding to verify performance, installation feasibility and automated manufacturing capabilities.

Project Impact

For new construction, annually 200,000 new units utilize vinyl siding. If the novel R10 MAI-vinyl siding or continuous MAI composite insulation is utilized instead of regular siding, assuming 30% share of the vinyl siding market, the primary energy savings are expected to easily exceed 0.25 quadrillion BTUs.  National Association of Realtors cited siding replacement as one of the eight best long term investments for homeowners; vinyl siding showed an 83% cost recovery.

Contacts

DOE Technology Manager: Dale Hoffmeyer, Dale.Hoffmeyer@ee.doe.gov
Lead Performer: Andre Desjarlais, ORNL

Related Publications

Graphic: Modeled geometry of the double-7” traditional insulated siding and calculated heat flux distribution.
Graphic: Modeled geometry of the double-7” traditional insulated siding and calculated heat flux distribution.

Modeled geometry of the double-7” traditional insulated siding and calculated heat flux distribution.