Sunday, May 20, 2012
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Manufacture

According to the National Academy of Sciences CORRIM report, high amounts of energy are required to manufacture and transport of wood substitutes.

For example:

  • steel studs take 9 times as much energy as wood studs
  • aluminum siding uses over 5 times the energy as wood siding
  • a 4-inch concrete slab floor requires nearly 21 times the energy of a wood floor

In addition, the energy required to grow our timber supply is free. It comes from the sun.

Use

The cellular structure of Western Red Cedar retards the passage of heat and cold. Each cell acts as an insulating agent. According to the USDA Forest Service, wood roofing and siding have the highest insulation value of any of the wood substitutes.

Wood has 413 times the thermal resistance (R-value) of steel, 2,000 times that of aluminum, and 8 times that of concrete. Consequently, wood roofing and siding help reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool our homes and offices.

The world's energy supply is dwindling. We must all, therefore, use products that consume less energy in their manufacture and help to conserve energy when used.