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by danans 1516 days ago
Zip system sheathing, while great, is not enough. You still need either cavity wall insulation or exterior insulation or both.

For cavity wall insulation, dense packed cellulose is a carbon negative option currently widely available.

1 comments

Zip-R sheathing is exterior insulation, from R-3 up to R-12

https://www.huberwood.com/zip-system/insulated-r-sheathing

Minimum code wall insulation is R-13, and up to R-30 in colder climates. Even the best Zip-R isn't going to hit that on its own.

And if you are building a new custom home, you'd be crazy not to surpass code for insulation, given the operational energy savings.

If you want to build to PassivHaus standards, you're going to need a lot more than that.

Matt Risinger has some nice videos on examples of doing that on his "Build Show" channel on YouTube.

Zip + metal stud + rockwool and you’re g2g
You're going to need thicker stud walls and/or more exterior insulation than that, if you want to meet PaasivHaus standards.