Investigation of Thermal Performance of Structural Insulated Panels for Northern Canada

Abstract

The thermal performance of structural insulated panels (SIP) and connections, developed and used to build 142 homes in Nunavut, Canada, was studied by subjecting the panels to steady-state cold climate conditions in a laboratory test setup. Testing was carried out using an inverted test hut, in which the panels were installed such that the interior of the hut was cooled down to outdoor conditions, and the ambient lab conditions served as the indoor climate. This inverted setup provides an alternative to using a large-scale environmental chamber when this is not available. Results showed the methodology used in this test is adequate to characterize the thermal performance at both the center of the panel and the connections. In carrying out steady-state thermal simulations on both the panel and connection cross sections using both one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) programs, it was found that while the 1D simulation could adequately predict the performance at the center of the panel, a 2D simulation was required to predict the performance at the connections. The SIPs themselves were found to provide good thermal performance.