The Herald-Zeitung

Set just off of Texas 46, a small New Braunfels manufacturing firm is offering builders a new and unique system in which to construct homes.

EH Systems, 1411 Farm-to-Market 1101, is manufacturing a product that can save new homeowners more than 50 percent on their heating and cooling bills, Allan King, president and CEO said.

“We supply builders with an integrated approach to constructing homes using structural insulated panels, or SIPs” King said recently. “Currently, we employ about 30 people, but we are looking to expand in the near future, possibly later in the second quarter.”

The special panels are sheets of expanded polystyrene that are evenly distributed with a water-based adhesive before being sandwiched between oriented strand board. The panels, which are used in outside walls and roofs, are a stronger, more durable and energy-efficient product than other wood frames used in conventionally built homes, King said.

As construction with the panels are different than that of conventionally framed houses, EH Systems trains and certifies builders on the entire turnkey building process.

King said a home built using the complete EH Systems process consists of 4 1/2-inch thick airtight walls that are sealed at their joints; an 8 1/4-inch thick roof; tankless water heaters and a smaller, more efficient heating and air-conditioning system. It would also include double insulated exterior doors and windows.

Although such panel construction is not a new concept — it was created more than 50 years ago — King said the EH Systems process takes the production of the panels “to a new level by allowing homes to be built through our completely integrated systems approach.”

After Oak Ridge National Laboratories recently conducted a battery of energy-related tests at their Tennessee facilities, officials with the lab estimated more than 50 percent of energy loss in residential and commercial buildings is associated with heat transfer and air leakage through various building components.

“Leakage includes everything that separates the interior of a building from the outdoor environment,” King said. “ORNL concluded the air tightness of SIPs, and the absence of air leaks in our product make SIPs building envelopes extremely airtight when compared with traditional wood-framed houses.”

After spending more than six years helping to develop the technology used by EH Systems, he said, the custom-made products engineered at the New Braunfels manufacturing plant are being used by builders throughout the state.

“We also utilize a special locking mechanism, which can keep a home firmly connected to its foundation in more than 155 mph winds,” King said in a news release. “And, due to the airtight construction, homes are even sealed against pollen, dust and other allergens and insects. Mold is also completely controlled by using the included air exchangers and dehumidifier.”

The company recently was awarded “Best in Show” at the 2007 Austin Green Living and Home Products Expo, the CEO said.

Mark Koopmans can be reached at mkoopmans(at)herald-zeitung.com.