What is a thermal bridge / Guides

...is easy to look at the R value rating of a material and assume that our entire wall assembly matches it uniformly. But when you factor in the thermal bridges caused by framing materials and any discontinuities in the wall structure, you can also quickly deduce that this is not the case. It doesn't take expensive equi...

...and exterior cladding. Cascadia Clips from Cascadia Windows in Vancouver are the biggest name in fiberglass thermal spacers you will find across Canada and the U.S. so the concept has in a way adopted the brand name, but there are others brands of wall insulation thermal spacers such as Armatherm Z Girt available, pi...

...alking about vapor barriers. An air barrier is not something you walk into a building supply store and buy; it is a design concept, and arguably a commitment. Products that can act as air barriers are drywall, sheathing, insulation, house wrap, even the polyethylene we normally install as a vapour barrier can act as an...

...and XPS that is connected to a disturbing amount of human health issues. Avoiding thermal bridges: When one section of a wall conducts heat much quicker than another, we refer to it as a thermal bridge , and that can greatly reduce the overall R value of a wall. Virtually every thermal bridge in this wall assembly ...

...is certain, water only runs downhill - unless that is it has a reason to do otherwise. When installing windows and doors the first basic rule is to "think like water" - ensure that all openings are flashed and taped appropriately and to code so that water that wants to run downhill can do so rather than accumulate and ...

...and strength of wood. You can easily frame a wooden roof to carry the added weight of soil on a green roof, and wood is renewable, usually local, and more sustainably harvested than metal. 4. Health: Container houses may subject you to toxic substances, as it is hard to know what was previously contained in a conta...

...ay to do it, and not necessarily the best for this climate, particularly with air conditioned homes. Whether or not a material qualifies as a vapour barrier is determined by the amount of moisture that passes through it, and it is given a rating. Any material that allows less than 60NG (nanograms) of moisture to pass...

...an even and total protection. SPUF has a high R value per inch, acts as an air barrier and a vapour barrier. However, it has been known to shrink after application, leaving air gaps and a lack of thermal protection. Another downside to the original SPUF is that some blowing agents have a high global warming potential...

...is would instantly cut annual heating costs by a factor of 3 and offer very attractive paybacks. Research has shown that heating a single family home with a heat pump instead of a natural gas furnace or boiler yields carbon emissions savings comparable to taking an average car off the road . A gradual transition to...

...an even and total protection. SPUF has a high R value per inch, acts as an air barrier and a vapour barrier. However, it has been known to shrink after application, leaving air gaps and a lack of thermal protection. Another downside to the original SPUF is that some blowing agents have a high global warming potential...

...arge glazing area. As the structure and frame have virtually no insulation value, they will act as a thermal bridge , and quickly draw the heat out of the solarium. In short, heat accumulated during the day will be lost at night, and the overall energy balance will often amount to a net heat loss rather than the comm...