Washington, D.C. – June 17, 2009 – Recent studies sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) demonstrate that insulated vinyl siding contributes to savings in energy consumption, energy costs and CO2 emissions, outperforming fiber cement when comparing these environmental and energy measures.

The studies were conducted by Newport Ventures as part of NYSERDA’s High Performance Residential Development Challenge and included analyses on homes in Burnt Hills and Saratoga Springs, New York.

In Burnt Hills, researchers performed a side-by-side field test comparing insulated vinyl siding against fiber cement. The test was conducted during the winter on the two-story colonial built by Stewart Construction. Thermal imaging comparison clearly showed there was less heat loss with the insulated vinyl siding than with the fiber cement.

In addition to the side-by-side field test, researchers used REM/Rate, the most widely used whole building energy simulation tool, to evaluate relative performance. The analysis found that, on average, specification of insulated vinyl siding over fiber cement would provide expected annual savings of $56 in natural gas and electric utility costs, 448 pounds of CO2 and 3.2 million Btu.

“With so many people trying to define what is green in the building industry, analyses like those conducted by NYSERDA and Newport Ventures are helpful, giving builders and architects credible information to reference,” says Jery Y. Huntley, President of the Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI). “These studies provide valuable documentation that insulated vinyl siding outperforms silica-based fiber cement siding in energy and environmental performance.”

In Saratoga Springs, insulated vinyl siding was used on the single-story home built by Belmonte Builders, which was the first home in New York’s capital region to achieve a Gold Rating under the U.S. Green Building Conference’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification. Insulated vinyl siding can help achieve up to three points under LEED for Homes and up to 205 points under the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard™ when combined with other environmentally preferable products.

The home in Saratoga Springs also confirmed that environmental performance and curb appeal can go hand in hand. During an open house showcase, a survey revealed that 68 percent of visitors found the insulated vinyl siding to be “very attractive” while 95 percent agreed that its visual appeal was “better than average.”