Vermont builder presents SIP-panel 'Irish Hills' as faster path to energy-efficient homes

Kevin Moyer, owner of Vermont Frames and Faux Lisonbee, told the House General & Housing Committee on Feb. 14 that structural insulated panels, or SIPs, and a simple production design his firm calls "Irish Hills" could speed construction of energy-efficient homes across Vermont.

Moyer said his two companies design, fabricate and install about 50 to 60 homes a year from Maine to New Jersey and that SIPs allow large sections of a building envelope to be made in a heated factory and assembled quickly on site. "A SIP is think of an ice cream sandwich," Moyer said, describing the panels as a foam core bonded between two structural boards. He added, "Speed of construction is your real advantage here. It's going to be about the same price, but you're going to get it built months quicker and you're going to spend a lot less for the life of the home to heat and cool it."

Nut graf: The committee heard SIPs described as a near-term tool to produce more housing units and cut household energy bills, but Moyer and members flagged practical constraints that could limit immediate deployment—seasonal limits on foundation work, a shortage of installers, and…