Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/175815
this, some traditional systems may be found wanting. For instance, the effective R value of an entire cavity insulation assembly, with insulation material between studs, is signi icantly lower than the rated R value of the insulation material itself. Because of thermal bridging and insulation discontinuities, the effective R value drops by 50 per cent or more in steel-framed walls and 24 per cent or more in wood-framed ones, according to a technical bulletin from Dryvit Systems Canada Ltd., released in July. Effective insulation is an issue that was re lected in Ontario building code changes that took effect in January. The changes for energy now apply to the thermal conductivity of the assembly itself – not just the insulation material. "Designers relied on the thermal resistance of the material. People are now looking at the effectiveness of the assembly as a whole. The codes are starting to mandate that part of the insulation must be of a continuous nature, free of signi icant thermal bridging," says Andre Turrin, technical director at DuRock Alfacing International. "Almost no one used the term, 'continuous insulation,' until this year. But EIFS has always been about continuous insulation. Now, others are working to demonstrate their systems have continuous insulation. EIFS has always had the solution. Historically, it was used mostly for commercial low-rise and highrise construction. It's now used for hospitals and schools." EIFS has evolved from a single-barrier system to a rainscreen system. Turrin describes today's system Over 60,000 square feet of Roxul® CavityRock® DD was installed in the Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL. as a 'belt-and-suspenders' approach that provides a better water barrier. The company's PUCCS system, which entered the market in 2005, meets the Ontario code with respect to its continuous insulation requirements, he notes. "The new energy codes bode well for us. EIFS has become one of the acceptable cladding options. What's really increased our sales has been with retro its. We're having one of our best years," says Nick Petrakis, national sales and marketing manager for Durabond Products Ltd. EIFS, though, has had its ups and downs over the years, he says. Its reputation took a hit after the leaky condo debacle. Many of the leaky condos on the West Coast had stucco exteriors, not EIFS, however. Where problems were associated with EIFS, Petrakis says they occurred mostly as a result of design laws. Provided the economics of a retro it work, EIFS is an increasingly preferred option in parts of Ontario. "Putting an EIFS system on an old building that's leaking stops the leaking and makes the building look dramatically better," Petrakis says. A key component of systems like Durabond's Durex Quantum Select, he says, is the geometrically de ined drainage cavities that manage moisture. "It's in line with today's codes. The depth of the groove is a minimum of 10 millimetres. That cavity basically keeps the wall dry. In Ontario and B.C., architects won't design [for an EIFS] without drainage cavities." Provisions of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), a building code created by the International Code Council in 2000, are in luencing state and municipal governments in regulations related to energy ef iciency, says Richard J. Ruppert, architectural services manager at Firestone Building Products. Insulation p.20-23Insulation.indd 22 9/11/12 11:37 AM