Build Green with NRG

We all want our cars to perform, so why not our buildings?

With that philosophy, NRG Building Solutions builds high-performance strucures that are energy-efficient, cost-effective, provide a clean, healthy living environment, and can be erected quickly. The answer to this building strategy has been a new generation of Structural Insulated Panelized Systems (SIPS).

NRG’s “system” combines steel SIPS, Icynene® insulation spray on the underside of the roof decking, and the latest HVAC and air filtration technology resulting in a highly efficient, virtually airtight structure with pure air quality within the building envelope.

NRG wall panels, which are the heart of the building system, are made of galvanized steel and expanded polystyrene materials that contain no CFCs of HCFCs, are resistant to fire, mold, moisture, and mildew, have superior insulating and sound-proofing capabilities while being extremely energy-efficient.

The NRG Building Solutions combine the highest energy saving insulation values with the ease of panelized construction. Panels comply with the guidelines of ICC report 4943P for cold roll formed steel construction. With “true” R-values ranging from 22 to over 40 and with “performing” R-values well over 50, the NRG Building Solutions save consumers in energy costs during all seasons and in all regions of the world.

Builders who use NRG can save money by reducing labor and cutting construction time in half. What’s more, contractors are eligible to earn energy efficiency tax credits per unit built.

The NRG Building Solutions are designed with contractors in mind. For example, electrical chases are placed in panels for running wiring in exterior walls, and plastic grommets are installed in stud cutouts as specified by the ICC reports. This makes wiring a NRG building easier than wood since electrical contractors do not have to drill through each stud to run wiring. Plumbing allowances are made in the panels at locations specified in the project’s plumbing details. Panels are “precision engineered”, therefore, walls are straight and window openings are true, resulting in time and cost savings to the builder and homeowner as well. Change orders can be accomplised in minutes, not hours or days, with no waste.

The panels are fabricated to precise standards in the NRG controlled shop environment. The only tools required in the field are power screwdriver, level and tape measure. Each design is “panelized” using a proprietary computer design program that sizes the components of each panel. Two to four workers can erect the exterior walls for a typical 2,000-square-foot house in a day.

Walls are easily finished with any material that can be used on wood framing. Finishes are attached using self-tapping hardware. Since NRG is the only panel system that uses the guidelines outlined in the ICC reports, permitting is much easier than with other panel systems.

NRG is a green building material. All Styrofoam is graded to be used for insulation in wall cavities and does not off gas. According to Dietrich Metal Framing, building an average wood-frame home generates approximately 50 cubic feet of landfill waste, while a comparable steel home generates about 1.5 cubic feet of waste.

Here is a short video of NRG Building Solutions setting up the external walls of a home from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  See for yourself how lightweight, and easy to install these structural insulated panels are.