Energy Savings Driving Green Movement

Today’s savvy homebuyers want lower utility bills. In fact, energy efficiency is one of the key factors driving the green building movement. The EPA estimates that the average household spends about $2,200 annually on energy to heat and cool air. To home buyers, going green – for all its environmental benefits – also translates into cost effectiveness. A recent study revealed that 73% of consumers are embracing green “to reduce my bills/control costs” vs. the 26% who said it was to “lessen my impact on the environment.”

Minding The Gaps
Air infiltration around windows and doors can easily be addressed, but what about the horizontal joints in wall sheathing? Spacing structural panels is an installation requirement, but the resulting horizontal gaps permit air infiltration, even when factoring in house wrap with taped seams, because house wrap is designed to breathe.

A Big, Money-Eating Hole In The Wall
The majority of today’s new homes are built with 9’ or 10’ ceilings, resulting in an increase in horizontal joints when standard wall sheathing is used. The gaps created are too often considered a necessary evil and left as is, or must be caulked at additional cost in order to meet standards and make the structure more airtight. But all those small gaps taken together can add up to over four square feet of open space through which air enters the home – and the homeowner’s money exits.

How TallWall Reduces Air Leakage
TallWall offers an easy, efficient way to eliminate unnecessary horizontal joints altogether, thus significantly reducing wall air leakage. Available in 9’ and 10’ lengths, vertical seams are located directly over studs. Problem solved. Best of all, TallWall presents no unusual installation issues and requires no special training of trades.

But don’t take our word for it.

Take The NAHB Research Center's Word
Norbord recently asked the NAHB Research Center to conduct air leakage tests that compared TallWall wall sheathing to standard 4x8 panels. The tests were conducted in the Center’s E283/E331 chamber, according to ASTM E283 test methods.

Pressure Testing For Air Leakage
Two test walls over 8’ tall were built using drywall, tape, joint compound, insulation, with one electrical outlet (on the inside) and an electrical wire running through the studs. One wall was built with horizontally installed 4x8 panels, the other with vertically installed TallWall panels. Each wall was then tested using three different pressure differentials (.01, .02, and .03 H2O SCFM). House wrap was then installed (according to manufacturer’s specifications) with one vertical joint, and the same three pressure tests were conducted. A final three pressure tests were completed after installing seam tape (according to manufacturer’s specifications) over the joint in the house wrap.