Our panels will provide you with the best thermal and air-sealed structural boundary on the market today, but it’s all for naught if you have poorly installed windows and doors. Structures built with our panels have consistently scored significantly better than even traditional stick-built structures with sprayed foam insulation as rated with a blower door test (tests for the “leakiness” of a house, a huge factor in energy efficiency). But regardless of the method of construction one of the greatest opportunities for gaps in a home’s construction is with windows and doors. DON’T TAKE THIS LIGHTLY. It can be easy for a builder to slap in a window or door, run a bead of caulk or foam around it and trim it in rather quickly – never to be seen or examined again. In the meantime the bead of caulk or foam was not effective in sealing the structure and siginificant energy leakage can occur around this window or door for the life of the structure – even growing worse as time elapses.
Most builders agree that caulk alone is not a long term deterrent to anything. Fiberglass insulation should NEVER be stuffed in between a wall and a window. Minimally expanding closed cell spray foams with separate applicator guns are great ways to go and we provide this product with our panels – ask for extra to do your windows and doors while you’re at it. When this air sealant is installed around your windows and doors PLEASE go back over your work at least once with a second or even third round of foam. Foam is cheap compared to the long term costs associated with having a “leaky” house.
One other great product for sealing around window and door frames is backer rod. 
This is a closed cell polyurethane “rope” that can be purchased in varying widths and can be used to line larger gaps between the window or door and the wall. It will not shrink over time and is flexible enough to cover wide gaps or be pushed into very small crevices. Of course in all cases follow the manufacturers recommended installation instructions.
Don’t spend lots of money on a wall and insulation system – whether stick-built or with our panels – and then slap the windows and doors in place and trim it out in a hurry to get in the structure. By taking the time to do this air-sealing step correctly – in all areas of your home’s envelope (sorry, not just windows and doors, especially if you’re going to stick-build) you’ll be able to obtain maximum leverage off of your home’s insulation.
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