If you have read past posts on this blog, you already know embodied energy is the energy it takes to create, process and transport a material.
Wood has a low embodied energy and an added bonus is it is a major part of any carbon-management strategy since trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. While it does need to be harvested, milled and transported to site, the resources and energy required are much less than the manufacture of fiber cement or PVC siding. Locally harvested woods like cypress, pine and poplar not only use less energy, they keep jobs in North Carolina.
What about maintenance? Well, vinyl has proved it is not final and it lowers the appraisal of your home. Fiber cement does not need to be painted as often as wood, however staining wood with either a semi-transparent or opaque stain solves the painting issue with wood. Two coats of stain on cypress siding can last up to 12 years or more.
As energy prices rise, using wood makes more and more sense and cents!
