Is Insulated Vinyl Siding the Best Choice for Your Home?

Back in the day, homeowners and builders swapped vinyl for concrete, wood, and other types of siding. Today, the home improvement industry favors a good, low-cost, and middle-of-the-road alternative: insulated vinyl siding.

What exactly is insulated vinyl siding? It’s vinyl siding with a form-fitted layer of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam insulation built into its back side. Like wrapping your home in a blanket, the graphite-infused material resists the transfer of heat in and out of your home.

But is insulated vinyl siding the best choice for your home? It depends on your climate, your budget, the level of insulation in your wall’s cavities, and how long you plan to be in your home.

For example, insulated siding is the most cost-effective in climates with extreme heat or cold. Despite spending more up front for advanced insulation protection, you earn more back in energy savings. However, anyone planning to flip a home for quick sale can opt instead for a cheaper solution like traditional non-insulated vinyl.

Consider the other top factors in making the switch to insulated vinyl siding.

Cost

Similar in cost to concrete and wood siding (about 20 to 50 percent more expensive than traditional vinyl siding), insulated vinyl siding ranges from $4 to $12 per square foot installed. The cost depends on the brand, color, profile, location and size of your home, number of windows and doors, accent trims, and other factors.

It also costs more to manufacture special pieces to fit corners, windows, and other tricky areas. However, you can recoup the extra cost over time in lower energy bills. The siding material pays for itself in as short as five years in climates with extreme heat or cold, and up to a decade or more in a moderate climate.

Regardless of climate, it’s still the lowest maintenance siding on the market with smaller lifetime costs and less maintenance than fiber cement and wood.

Appearance

Insulated vinyl siding boasts tons of options, wider and flatter profiles, a variety of dark, rich, and bold colors, and sharp, crisp profile lines emulating the appearance of real wood, all to boost a huge part of your home’s curb appeal.

Insulated foam also stands up better to extreme temperatures from the sun, maintaining your home’s beautiful exterior with increased resistance to impact and damage.

The siding earns bonus points for its appearance. Its unique design and exceptional hand-milled woodgrain finish take your creative ideas to the edge and beyond.

Energy savings

Insulated vinyl siding features material designed to slow the transfer of heat through the walls, lowering your energy use (both heating and air conditioning) and utility costs (save from 1 percent to 14 percent on your monthly bill).

By increasing thermal resistance by up to 19 percent, the siding prevents heat from leaving your home while heating, and from entering your home during warm months, all to maintain a year-round comfortable indoor climate.

Installation

Siding with larger reveal may be quicker and cheaper to install. But the risk of chipping, cracking, warping, and buckling makes it a challenge to install insulated vinyl siding.

It’s tricky to trim out openings like windows and doors. And vinyl siding installed incorrectly can become loose during high winds and storms. But for a certified siding professional with decades on the job, it’s just another day’s work.

Durability

Traditional vinyl long attracted homeowners and builders as a low maintenance, long lasting, and affordable siding material. But impact resistance was never its strong point.

The more robust and impact-resistant foam insulation stands up better to wind, hail, and other outdoor elements. The extra layer of contoured foam also fills the hollow void between non-insulated vinyl siding and walls to minimize impact damage from projectiles like baseballs and rocks thrown from lawnmowers.

More durability also means better resistance to fading, cracking, and, warping. Insulated siding also better protects against termite damage. The end result is powerhouse performance for your home built to weather any storm.

Moisture management

Insulation foam repels moisture, reduces mold build-up on top of siding, and creates a waterproof barrier and moisture-free environment to prevent water damage to your home. The extra layer of warmth also evaporates water to help your home’s sheathing dry faster.

Swap your traditional vinyl siding for an insulated brand and discover better weather performance.

Resale value

Research shows homeowners recoup 76.4% of siding replacement costs, saving more in the long run than a major kitchen remodel (65.3%), a roof replacement (68.8%), and even a window replacement (73.9%).

Spending $20,000 on insulated vinyl siding and recouping $15,280 in resale value lowers the true cost of your siding to $4,720. And the energy savings only add to your return on investment.

The average 2-story home with insulated siding saves 14.2% on heating and cooling costs, saving homeowners $425 per year (with a utility bill of $250 per month).

The added resale value alone makes your home more attractive to potential future buyers.

Place your biggest asset in our hands.

Ready to boost your home’s curb appeal, energy efficiency, and resale value with insulated vinyl siding? Reach out to King Quality today and discover the royal treatment for you and your home.