Summary
This “Business as Usual” tier 1 2×6 assembly was one of the most common methods of constructing residential buildings in Alberta at the time of this project and report (June 2025). It was developed to display a code requirement level of construction and compare it against the other five walls produced for the ENBIX wall library. The “Business as Usual” tier 1 2×6 assembly was also used as the baseline for the affordability and constructability analysis.
Videos showing key highlights of the wall at the:
Advantages:
- Easiest to construct and common across Alberta
- The least expensive to construct out of all the assemblies evaluated
Disadvantages:
- This construction method involves a considerable number of structural wood thermal bridges. These thermal bridges cause heat loss, resulting in higher energy use.
- Assembly Effective Thermal Performance: RSI-2.99 or R-16.98 or the lowest of all the assemblies evaluated
- Airtightness detailing was challenging as the air control layer is on the interior of the wall
Image from: p.11, High Performance Wall Assembly Project Summary Report
Taking a deeper dive
Read the full report from SAIT to take a closer look at:
- Wall assembly drawings, sections and details
- Photos of construction
- Constructability and affordability analysis
- Effective thermal resistance calculations
- Comparison charts with other walls in the ENBIX library
Click here to see the energy modelling results for a typical existing home in Alberta using the same construction (business as usual) compared to the same home that is more airtight. Spoiler – the energy consumption is reduced by almost 10% just from making the house more airtight. Read our blog on the energy modelling of the ENBIX wall library here.
The assemblies are also modelled in 3D by Beyond Code and are best viewed from a computer. Click on the links for the 3D models below.
Business-as-usual Assembly:
- Window Detail
- Exterior Wall – Electrical Penetration Detail
- Exterior Wall – Duct Penetration Detail
- Foundation / Conditioned Crawl Space Detail
- Roof Detail
The rest of the ENBIX wall library is also available as 3D models here.
