Unrealistic R-value claims are alive and well
jackofalltrades777
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
OK, someone please explain to me how they claim R-64 while only using 8″ of EPS which is around R-32? They claim R-8 per inch of insulation on the wall or roof.
http://www.jepsystem.com/history/
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Replies
Peter,
You're right -- something fishy is going on here.
You can't have "a R-64 insulation factor with an eight inch wall," as the company claims, if the insulation consists of EPS.
Warning flag: the company explains that these sky-high R-values can be attributed to "nano-ceramic technology." That's always a bad sign.
Interestingly, the company provides a link to a lab report by a trustworthy company (R&D Services). The report is even signed by Dave Yarbrough, a straight-arrow guy. Here is the link: Estimated R-values and U-values for JP Wall and Roof Panels.
Here's what the R&D Services report says:
The R-value of these panels depends on the type of EPS or XPS that the company includes.
If the company includes EPS or XPS with an R-value of R-3 per inch, then the 7-inch wall panels will have an R-value of R-20.5, and the 11-inch roof panels will have an R-value of R-31.2.
If the company includes EPS or XPS with an R-value of R-3.5 per inch, then the 7-inch wall panels will have an R-value of R-23.9, and the 11-inch roof panels will have an R-value of R-36.3.
If the company includes EPS or XPS with an R-value of R-4 per inch, then the 7-inch wall panels will have an R-value of 27.2, and the 11-inch roof panels will have an R-value of 41.4.
If the company includes EPS or XPS with an R-value of R-4.5 per inch, then the 7-inch wall panels will have an R-value of 30.5, and the 11-inch roof panels will have an R-value of R-46.5.
If the company includes EPS or XPS with an R-value of R-5.0 per inch, then the 7-inch wall panels will have an R-value of 33.9, and the 11-inch roof panels will have an R-value of R-51.6.
So how did the company manage to use this lab report to falsely claim that their wall panels have an R-value of R-64? Beats me.
This morning I sent an email to Dave Yarbrough, the engineer who wrote the accurate lab report. Dave emailed me back: "I called John Propst [presumably, one of the owners or officials at JEP System] immediately. I insisted that the site be corrected (immediately). Someone made a blunder."
We'll have to wait and see if Dave's complaint bears fruit.
.
It will be interesting to see what happens. It's false advertising and clearly an FTC violation.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/ftc-cracking-down-false-r-value-claims
This R-64 is clearly a false number and they are pushing this on numerous venues, even the sustainable building program in that county they built that home they are advertising.
It looks like the web page with the false R-64 claim has been taken down as a result of Dave Yarbrough's complaint.