Innovation

A SIP is a multilayered panel used as a substitute for traditional insulation and framing. It contains an insulated layer of inflexible foam sandwiched between interior and exterior sheathing. They are used to construct walls, floors, and ceilings and are more energy and cost efficient. The owner of Green Gable Contracting uses structural insulated panels due to its many advantages such as, exceptional thermal performance, reducing air leakage which leads to less drafts, reducing noise penetrations, reducing energy consumption which leads to lower energy bills, creating healthier indoor air quality and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. SIPs allow faster construction with less labor, reducing the cost of construction and the panels allow design flexibility which are suited for any building design.

The purpose of the innovation is to find efficient and financially stable ways to build homes that benefit both the homeowner and the environment. Structural insulated panels are made up of green materials that facilitates the reduction in CO2 emissions. The innovation of using SIPs allows healthier and more financially stable households. This innovation inspires people to choose environmentally friendly ways to construct buildings, encourages people to be more environmentally conscious, and educates on how to be more sustainable when building and creating infrastructure

Inspiration

The inspiration of this innovation comes from the owner of the company, Adrian Lupu, and his aspirations to help the environment, save both the company and consumer time and money, and wanting to make homes more financially viable, healthier, and safer. Adrian knows how important homes are to people and wants to make sure that he can help benefit the life of those within the homes. During the interview Adrian said, “Homes are our biggest investment and the places we spend most of our time, it is important that we live in a healthy environment that keeps us financially stable, and through SIP building, we are able to offer that to our consumers.” Through this quote we can see that the owner of the company wants to improve the quality of life within a home and therefore create better communities. His inspiration also came from wanting to introduce a product that helps improve homes while also being affordable.

The owner of the company comes from Europe, where he says he grew up with a father who was a construction worker. However, he also explains how the quality of his home was not good due to the fact that his family did not have much money. Living this past life inspired him to want to implement an innovation within his company that benefits the consumers health and is an affordable investment. Another thing that Adrian noted was how he first learned about SIPs from his father in Europe and decided that it was the perfect idea for his company.

Overall impact

The overall impact of Green Gable Contracting is to be a green and eco-friendly way of constructing new infrastructures and buildings. The company’s environmentally friendly innovation of using Structural Insulated Panels sets it apart from its competitors. As mentioned previously SIPs are panels that consist of insulating foam core in between two structural facings, which make it flexible to fit any building design. Short-term benefits of the innovation include resiliency, fast installation, energy efficiency, and environmentally friendly services. Along with the short term effects of this innovation there are also a few long term effects that have been shown to help improve the environment and the living conditions of homeowners than the rivals who use regular panels when constructing infrastructure. The long-term effects of SIPs include low energy homes and healthier living environments because they do not create allergens or mold. Along with helping reduce carbon emissions and leads to less energy consumption.

The Structural Insulated Panel Association, or also known as the SIPA, has explained how the use of structural insulated panels have lessened the energy level usage of a household by 40 to 60 percent than the average stick frame panels used by the rival competitors of Green Gable Contracting. This occurs on account of the airtight envelope of SIP panels in the building, requiring it to be heated and cooled by using less energy, according to owner Adrian Lupu.

Business benefit

The use of the Structural Insulated Panels implemented at Green Gable Contracting has many benefits for the company. The first benefit of the use of SIPs is that it sets Green Gable Contracting apart from its competitors as a green and eco-friendly company to work with. The innovation of implementing SIPs in the company requires less labor when it comes to constructing homes, therefore it requires less employees needed to construct the homes. Green Gable Constructing saves more money by using SIPs because it requires less people than the average contracting company. Adrian Lupu briefly touched upon this by saying, “The company’s use of structural insulated panels cuts down labor cost by roughly 55 percent, as well as lowering the hours of labor when constructing with SIPs by approximately 50 percent when compared to regular panels ”. Because of the company's eco-friendly approach to construction, they save both time and money using SIPs.

This innovation benefits both the company, the employees and the customers. The lower labor cost and time from using structural insulated panels, benefits the company because it is cheaper for them because they can hire less workers and spend less work on the projects because SIPs require less labor work. The employees of Green Gable Contracting benefit from the innovation because they get paid more for labor less work. Lastly the customers benefit from hiring Green Gable Contracting as their home will be reconstructed quicker and cheaper because of the less labor time and cost that comes with renovating with SIPs.

Social and environmental benefit

Green Gable Contracting’s innovation of implementing structural insulated panels is all about helping the environment. SIPs are proven to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly panels than the leading competitors panels. This innovation used by Green Gable Contracting when building homes helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions, provides healthier air quality and reduces energy consumption. This allows more healthier households as well as a healthier environment. Owner, Adrian Lupu, has tried to make the company as environmentally friendly as possible with the innovation of SIPs.

Structural Insulated Panels benefit the planet as the panels airtight, insulated system controls the heating and cooling better than panels insulated with fiberglass. The owner explained that, “the production of SIPs uses around 24 percent less energy than fiberglass insulation”. This lowers the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is created and released into the air when producing the panels. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions can prevent the earth from getting warmer due to the greenhouse effect. Implementing the use of SIPs when creating homes also helps heat and cool the houses more efficiently, which leads to the homeowners to use less energy, which lessen the carbon emissions that come out from the homes. The structural insulated panels also improves the indoor air quality of the homes, preventing the danger of harmful volatile organic compounds or VOCs, which are deadly chemicals that pollute the environment. Green Gable Contracting thrives to help reduce the pollutants endangering the planet with the innovation of using SIPs when creating buildings to make the company as green as they can possibly be.

Interview

Adrian Lupu, Founder