Builders of wood-framed houses may not always pay enough mind to the question of air leakage through walls in the finished product. And they can’t be blamed, given that building codes and prevailing economic considerations tend to keep their attentions focused elsewhere.
But there’s plenty to be gained by builders who opt for more airtight walls, and TallWall makes it a piece of cake.
Taking leaky horizontal joints out of the equation
TallWall OSB installs vertically, with each vertical seam lining up to a stud. There are no leaky mid-wall horizontal joints, the traditional ‘weak link’ in the quest build a tight envelope. Of course, figuring that builders would expect independent confirmation of this claim, West Fraser brought in the NAHB Research Center for verification. It asked the respected organization to compare the amount of air leakage between horizontally installed standard OSB panels and vertically installed TallWall panels.
The Center designed a means to test the claim and get to the heart of the matter. The tests showed up to a 60% reduction in air infiltration using TallWall compared to the old school method.
Lower energy costs for the homeowner
And don’t forget, we’re talking about air traveling in both directions through walls. So houses built with TallWall are likely to cost less to heat in cold weather and less to cool when it’s hot. And as TallWall is reducing air infiltration, it’s also reducing the humidity that enters the house along with that air. And that means a more comfortable home. The reason TallWall delivers such a huge reduction is simple. Each sheet stretches from floor framing to top plate, taking all the mid-wall horizontal joints out of the build, making the house a tighter envelope. And, in the end, sucking less cash out of the owner’s wallet.
What’s it to you?
Using TallWall gives builders valuable new selling features to talk up. Lower heating & cooling costs. A smaller carbon footprint. Better interior air quality. And the means to score well on blower door testing.
All in all, a better house for the money.
When you can offer important new features like that, and competitors can’t, guess who consumers will gravitate toward?