What do you think of Legalett Wall Insulation?
I have seen your recommendation for the Legalett concrete slab technology, but I wonder how their wall-insulation system compares to the wall systems that you propose. I see a number of advantages to their system--it's much less labor intensive and is potentially much faster to install. Also, one would only need to use 2x4 instead of 2x6. But the fact that you did not mention it makes me wonder. Kindly let me know.
We don’t currently have a page on our site about Legalett ThermalWall panels, but we do like them, we just haven’t gotten to featuring it yet! Legalett provides prefab slab on grade form kiits with air heated floors as you mention, and the ThermalWall panels were a compliment to that, they were originally developed to improve the performance of ICF basements but they are perfect for exterior Insulation These are panels that come in 4x8 sheets up to 8 inches thick with a metal rail in the middle to secure them to the walls.
And you are right, they can be an excellent insulation system for wood-framed houses, and done with 2x4’s as well since you no longer need the depth of the studs to accommodate batts. The fact that it is a foam product can give it a bad rap in green home building circles, but we think that EPS insulation may be the best option in the long-term, read more here –
Is EPS foam is an eco-friendly insulation?
Regardless of it’s raw materials, EPS is an affordable insulation material with a reasonable carbon footprint, and it does the job very well. What is different that Legalett has done is to embed a metal rail inside the panel that is used to attach thick EPS panels with short screws that do not pass through the entire insulation panel, so they eliminate or reduce heat loss through thermal bridging. So yes, it’s a great way to install EPS rigid insulation on the exterior of buildings.