Panelized
Construction:
The Energy Factor
by Alex Wilson
We are rapidly moving from a
component-oriented building
industry, to a systems-oriented one.
On many construction sites, the
building shell arrives, not as
truckloads of lumber, insulation and
sheathing, but as completed wall and
roof sections or interlocking stressedskin
panels.
For the builder this is truly a
revolution, speeding erection time
and providing quality control. But
what effect will it have on the
homeowner's fuel bills? How do
panelized houses compare with
conventional stud construction in
terms of energy efficiency?
Bob Barr, General Manager of
Amos Winter Homes of Brattleboro,
Vt., described the difference this way:
To get an accurate sense of energy
efficiency, whether panelized or stickbuilt,
you have to look at the whole
system, not simply the