High Energy Performance & Sustainable Building Systems for Construction

Porter Structural Insulated Panels (or PorterSIPs) are the ultimate engineered building product for building energy-efficient, environmentally responsible residential, commercial, and industrial structures. SIPs are made using a factory lamination process.  This strictly controlled process utilizes a code approved adhesive to bond a structural grade EPS foam core between two engineered wood sheets – which are typically OSB (Oriented Strand Board).  SIPs are an exceptional product because they combine structure and insulation into factory fabricated panel system.  The factory fabrication process produces precision cut components that are designed and cut for a specific building.  These components can be very quickly assembled due to the precise cutting and due to the panels being available as large as 8′ x 24′.  SIPs can be used as load bearing walls, roofs, and floors.  PorterSIPs creates buildings that are energy-efficient, economically-wise, exceptionally strong, which result in excellent owner satisfaction.

The answer is simple: because SIPs are revolutionizing the building industry. Here’s why:

• SIP buildings use approximately half the energy of conventional buildings.
• SIPs can be used for any building design and are particularly useful when open designs with long roof spans are desired.
• SIPs can be erected in approximately half the time of a conventional building.
• SIPs are an engineered product that can be designed to meet the required loads but are also inherently much stronger that conventional framing.
• Owners of SIP buildings report less interior noise, fewer drafts, and more consistent interior temperatures.
• SIP structures are much more airtight and therefore the indoor air quality can be more easily maintained.
• Building with SIPs is economically competitive with stick framing and will save money over the lifetime of the structure.

PorterSIPs offer superior quality. PorterSIPs are designed on state-of-the-art 3D CAD software, are CNC cut, and are audited by a full time Quality Assurance staff. Also, SIPs, due to their balanced composition of OSB on the interior and exterior, are much less likely to bend, bow or twist compared to conventional stick framing. The OSB skins of the panel are continuous and are an engineered product, therefore not susceptible to “settling” that is common with stick framing. Finally, the PorterSIPs production facility and process is audited for quality by a certified third party inspection agency.

Our SIPs are precision factory built. Factory fabricated building components like SIPs are manufactured in an environmentally controlled facility. Compared to field framing, manufacturing in a factory is much more precise with better tools, tighter tolerances, and full time quality inspectors. All of this leads to easier and faster assembly of these components in the field and a higher quality building with fewer problems over its lifetime.

SIPs save everyone money. PorterSIPs are the solution to lowering utility bills and building stronger, greener, dryer, straighter houses and commercial buildings. With SIPs, all panels are designed to go up quickly, and come in sizes up to 8′ x 24′. They go together quickly, and installation times compared to traditional stick framing are cut approximately in half. Owners, architects, and builders are finding that SIPs offer so many benefits, they never want to go back to conventional stick framing. Tax credits are available too

There’s virtually no limit to the styles and types of buildings that can be built using Porter’s structural insulated panels (PorterSIPs). Our panels are being used to build many types of structures in all kinds of environments all over North America.  SIPs are commonly used for anything from small single family homes to huge four-story tall commercial buildings. View our project gallery to view the homes and buildings that have been built using PorterSIPs.

With PorterSIPs, insulation is a fore-thought. The EPS insulating core is integral with the product and the combination of the EPS’s high R-value, reduced thermal bridging due to less framing, and much reduced air leakage all contribute to superior energy performance.  While R-values are only part of the story, SIPs have very good R-values.  As an example, according to Oak Ridge National Lab, a part of the US Department of Energy, the whole wall R-value of a 6-1/2” SIP is 21.6 compared to 13.7 for a conventional wall built using 2x6s 24” O.C. and R-19 fiberglass batts. PorterSIPs outperform conventional construction every time. Read more about our R-values.