Energy Efficient Siding

 

BRUCE: Yes, I’ve been looking at siding or – to put on the house, obviously – and we’ve seen two different types. One has the insulation backed right onto the vinyl siding strips.

 

TOM: Yep.

 

BRUCE: And the other has no insulation. It’s just a vinyl but the contractor will put up, I guess, like 2x4 rectangles onto the house.

 

TOM: Right.

 

BRUCE: And then the vinyl will be attached to those rectangles.

 

TOM: OK, so you want to know which is more energy-efficient?

 

BRUCE: Which is – well, which is overall better?

 

TOM: Well, the two-step method is going to be more energy-efficient because the foam sheathing is going to do a better job of sealing up the house than the foam backer. Foam backer and vinyl siding provides such a small amount of insulating value, it’s not worth it. So you don’t need to insulate the siding board itself. I mean they’re like wedges that go from a quarter-inch to a half-inch.

 

BRUCE: Yes.

 

TOM: There’s almost no insulating value because it’s just so thin. But if you put, you know, one-inch foam boards on the house, all the way around, as sheathing and then side over that, that’s going to be much more tight.

 

BRUCE: Right, it makes sense. Yes.

 

TOM: OK?

 

BRUCE: OK, thanks a lot, guys.

 

TOM: You’re welcome, Bruce. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.