Structural insulated panels sips consist of slabs of foam insulation sandwiched between oriented strand board or plywood they represent one of the newest technologies and may render wood framing methods obsolete. Building with structural insulated panels strength energy efficiency through structural panel construction by michael morely 2000 10 12 michael morely books amazonca. Building with structural insulated panels sips strength and energy efficiency through structural panel construction user review not available book verdict for over 100 years the majority of north american homes have been built using wooden framing this technique is strong conserves materials and allows great design flexibility . Sips are also extremely energy efficient compared to a typical stick frame house a house built of sips will require about half the energy to heat and cool throughout the year in most climates. The growth of energy efficient homes has led to more use of structural insulated panels read these tips about working with sip panels depending on panel thickness and composition sips also are manufactured to spec which means theres little waste and potential labor savings over traditional stick frame construction however working with structural insulated panels does have its