Approximately 40 percent of all the energy produced is consumed by our built environment. Those commercial and residential structures use 40 percent of that energy to heat and cool their interior spaces. The current construction industry is now subject to new conservation methods mandated by code to minimize the use of energy. More than ever before, our design community is focusing attention on the exterior wall assembly as it relates to energy performance. It’s all the rage in stucco and EIFS claddings and to our readers we know it as continuous insulation.
Ever since we have been insulating stud wall assemblies, we have done so by placing batt insulation between the studs in the cavities of the wall. Printed in a large font and on the face of the insulation product was the R value of that insulation. So, if it said R-19 on the batts, it was assumed that the wall had an R-19 insulation value. What was not considered was the thermal transmission of heat and cold through the studs which compromised the R factor of the insulation. Depending on the climate and weather, the printed R value could have been cut in half.