Energy Efficiency and Building Science News

The Building Technologies Office announced it is investing up to $19.5 million in 19 projects that will drive innovation in early-stage research and development for advanced building technologies and systems that will serve as a foundation for future technological developments and reductions in building energy consumption. These technologies will improve the efficiency of our nation’s buildings and will help American consumers and businesses save energy and money on their utility bills.

“Technological innovations enable energy-efficiency advances in the buildings sector, providing a tremendous opportunity to reduce energy waste and costs – boosting the competitiveness of U.S. companies and easing energy bills for American families,” said David Nemtzow, director of the Building Technologies Office. “As buildings account for 40% of the energy consumption in the United States, these efficiency innovations allow us to further improve upon past progress.”

Below are the three award winners focused on using advanced building materials:

The University at Buffalo (Buffalo, NY): “Scalable and Cost-Effective Roll-to-Roll Additive Manufacturing of Highly Durable and Thermal Insulating Silica-Carbon Aerogel.” The research team will demonstrate a scalable roll-to-roll manufacturing process for producing an advanced aerogel insulation material.

Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA): “Inexpensive and durable aerogel-based VIP Cores.” The research team will investigate a manufacturing process that uses ambient rather than supercritical drying of aerogels to fabricate aerogel for vacuum insulated panels at much lower required vacuum levels.

The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL): “Cost-Effective Thermally Activated Building Systems to Support a Power Grid System With High Penetrations of As-Available Renewable Energy Resources.” The research team will develop a novel thermally activated building envelope system that integrates non-combustible phase change materials and hydronic activation into building envelope with a goal to reduce the energy cost for building operation as well as to support renewable energy sources (RES) for power grid reliability, quality, resilience, and dispatchability.

State legislatures in New York, Virginia and Washington have recently introduced legislation that would could have an impact on the building envelope.  Summaries are below:

New York Looks to Favorably Update Building Codes

NY A 4460 would update the state fire prevention and building code and the state energy conservation construction code within 12 months of the publication of any updated or revised edition of the international and national codes.

NY A 4606 would authorize local governments to adopt local building code standards which are more stringent than those in the State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code.

Virginia Proposed Legislation References ASHRAE's Advanced Energy Design Guide

The Commonwealth of Virginia is considering legislation that will update the Virginia Small Business Financing Act. The legislation (House Bill 2192, companion Senate Bill 1331), includes a new section, Section 22.1-141.1, standards for buildings and facilities, that would require that new public school buildings and facilities and improvements to existing public school buildings and existing facilities be Zero Energy buildings based on ASHRAE's Achieving Zero Energy – Advanced Design Guide for K–12 School Buildings. This legislation was engrossed by the House on February 4 and will go to the Senate. View the proposed language here.

Washington State Introduces Legislation to Update State's Energy Efficiency Policy

Legislation has been introduced in the State of Washington which would update its current energy efficiency policy. Senate Bill 5293 (companion House Bill 1257) adds new sections to the state's energy performance standards. Specifically, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 100-2018 is adopted by reference as a model for standard development. Should this bill pass, the state Department of Commerce shall seek to maximize reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. The standard must include energy use intensity targets by building type and methods of conditional compliance that include an energy management plan, operations and maintenance program, energy efficiency audits, and investment in energy efficiency measures designed to meet the targets.

Additionally, Standard 100-2018 is paired with EPA's Energy Star® for building occupancy classifications. The Department may consider building occupancy classifications from these two when developing energy use intensity targets. See the bills: SB 5293 and HB 1257.

Two innovative technologies from Dow, the world’s leading materials science company, as well as the company’s Coating Materials research division have won BIG Innovation Awards presented by the Business Intelligence Group. The annual awards program recognizes the organizations, products and people that bring new ideas to life.

“Creating materials and solutions that exceed customer needs, transform our world and deliver shareholder value is why we innovate,” said A.N. Sreeram, senior vice president, Research and Development, and chief technology officer for Dow. “We are grateful for this recognition from Business Intelligence Group of our talented Dow teams and breakthrough innovations.”

Nominations are judged by a select group of business leaders and executives who volunteer their time and expertise to score submissions.

“This year’s winners show just how deep a role innovation plays in nearly every aspect of business,” said Maria Jimenez, chief operating officer of the Business Intelligence Group. “We are thrilled to be honoring Dow as they are leading by example and making real progress on improving the daily lives of so many.”

Learn more about the Dow 2019 BIG Innovation Award winners:

Dow Coating Materials Research Division

Today’s modern coatings demand many, often conflicting qualities: energy efficiency, safety, durability, aesthetics and much more. These simultaneous requirements demand unique technologies and innovations. The research team from Dow Coating Materials is being recognized for its world-class expertise to bring inspired ideas to coating needs of all kinds, including market-defining technologies. Working hand-in-hand with customers and industry and academic partners alike, these scientists push the boundaries of chemistry to help understand and solve the world’s most critical challenges in coatings.

DOW SILASTIC™ 3335 Liquid Silicone Rubber

SILASTIC™ 3335 Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) is a groundbreaking silicone material formulated specifically to combine the performance benefits of silicone rubber with the design and processing advantages of liquid additive manufacturing 3D printing.

DOW SYL-OFF™ 7792 and SYL-OFF™ 7795 Fluorosilicone Release Coatings

To solve the pain point of ultra-low release force applications, Dow developed SYL-OFF™ 7792 FLUOROSILICONE RELEASE COATING and SYL-OFF™ 7795 FLUOROSILICONE RELEASE COATING for Silicone Pressure Sensitive Adhesive applications. The solution provides stable and lower release force and greater ease to peel off.

For more information about Dow’s innovation engine, visit Areas of Expertise and Awards on https://corporate.dow.com/en-us.

A fire at the Neo 200 apartment building in Spencer Street, Melbourne, on Monday highlighted the risk to human safety from flammable cladding and other non-conforming building products. Building quality and safety are compromised when there is no transparency about the products used.

Our experimental research project suggests a solution that uses sensor technology and artificial intelligence. Finding such a solution to ensure unsafe and substandard products are detected and prevented from being used in buildings is critical, given the scale of the problem in Australia.

In 2014, a similar cladding fire spread across multiple levels of the Lacrosse Tower in Melbourne’s Docklands. This led to an initial audit by the Victorian Building Authority.

In 2017, after 72 people died in the Grenfell cladding fire in London, the Victorian Cladding Taskforce conducted another audit. It found at least 1,400 buildings contained cladding that was non-conforming to Australian standards and/or non-compliant with government safety regulations. Its interim report concluded:

The Victorian Cladding Taskforce has found systems failures have led to major safety risks and widespread non-compliant use of combustible cladding in the building industry across the state.

How could this happen?

The taskforce noted 12 reasons for non-compliant use of cladding. From a systems perspective, these can be categorised as:

1. incentive to substitute products driven by cost
2. no reliable means of independently verifying product certification
3. product labelling cannot be verified to detect fraudulent or misleading information
4. products cannot reliably be verified as being the same as those approved (and used)
5. on-site inspections are unreliable or do not take place.

Essentially, the taskforce identified a problem with the system of verifying products’ conformance to standards and compliance with government regulation.

Substandard products can be found across a range of materials used in the building sector. These include steel, copper, electrical products, glass, aluminium and engineered wood. For example, the Senate inquiry into non-conforming products found:

The ACCC [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission] advised that electrical retailers and wholesalers have recalled Infinity and Olsent-branded electrical cables, warning that ‘physical contact with the recalled cables could dislodge the insulation and lead to electric shock or fires’.

The taskforce estimated over 22,000 homes were affected. It estimated the cost of the recall and replacement at A$80 million.

So how can technology help?

Similar problems have existed in other industries. In the wine export industry, sensor technology has been used to detect fraudulent products in our biggest market, China. This involves scanning QR codes on bottle labels to identify the manufacturer, the batch and other product details that authenticate wine products.

Scanning technology, involving complex data-matching across different data platforms, is used daily – when we use credit cards, for example. The building industry has embraced some excellent systems to collect data of importance such as building information modelling (BIM). However, BIM does not verify authenticity of products.

In the the case of flammable cladding, data verification to solve the use of non-conforming products is housed across a number of authorities, manufacturers and industry associations. Collaboration is needed to design a system to solve the problem. The data should be collected and stored in a manner that enables secure access by a digital verification system.

What features does the system need to have?

Our research focus has been on designing a system based on criteria informed by industry innovators and stakeholders. The system must be able to:

1. collect and match product data in real time
2. verify non-conforming and non-compliant products in real time
3. maintain integrity of labelling
4. store data securely so all stakeholders can verify the status of the building, including architects, builders, site managers, inspectors, owners, investors, insurers and financiers
5. trace data (and composition) throughout the product life-cycle, to predict maintenance, recovery and repurposing.

The system we suggest uses two elements, sensor technology and artificial intelligence, to do all this.

Technology to solve the problem of tracking and validating building product safety is being developed.

How does the system work?

A mobile app that can scan QR codes or “building material passports” is being developed in Europe. The label will hold relevant compliance data of the assembled product and its component parts. This includes building code compliance, and relevant assessments and certifications.

The product’s QR code can be scanned at any time along the supply chain and throughout the life of the building. This then enables its status to be verified via data matching.

Linking to a platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) solves the problem of ensuring compliance with government regulation. CSIRO Data 61 has developed an AI software tool that enables regulation to be coded using AI algorithms to accurately determine compliance. We are working with Data 61 to test Australian regulation and ensure transparency for all.

The solution is designed to plug into existing technology solutions, such as BIM and Matrack, to trace the movement of products along the supply chain and throughout the building’s life-cycle.

The Illinois Register, published on December 7, 2018, gives notice of amendment to existing rules which will update the state's energy code from 2015 IECC to 2018 IECC. These changes are authorized by the Capital Development Board Act and the Energy Efficient Commercial Building Act, which requires the adoption of the latest published edition of the ICC's International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as the energy code for Illinois.

Please note that the rules were also altered to revise the requirements for State funded facilities to comply with the IECC versus ASHRAE standards, remove the variance process for State funded facilities as this is covered in the IECC, add exemptions for State buildings that are allowed for private commercial buildings and to rearrange or reword a few sections to provide consistency.

Click here to view the rule in full. The rule runs from Register page 21491 to 21528.

Any interested parties may submit comments, data, views or arguments concerning this proposed rulemaking in writing for a period of 45 days following publication of this Notice.

Huntsman Corporation swung to a net loss of $8 million or 5 cents per share in the third quarter from a net income of $179 million or 60 cents recorded a year ago. Adjusted earnings were 84 cents per share in the quarter, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Revenues rose around 13% year over year to $2,444 million on higher sales across all segments. It beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,239 million.

Huntsman has outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, delivering a positive average earnings surprise of roughly 14%.

The company’s shares have lost around 29.1% over a year, underperforming the industry's decline of 16.6%.

Factors to Watch For

Huntsman, in its third-quarter call, stated that it continues to strengthen its balance sheet and remains committed to a balanced approach to capital allocation by growing its downstream businesses portfolio while creating shareholder value.

Revenues for Huntsman for the fourth quarter is projected to fall roughly 3.6% year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is currently pegged at $2,123 million.

Revenues from Huntsman’s Polyurethanes segment is anticipated to witness a 7.3% rise year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is pegged at $1,316 million.

Huntsman remains committed to grow its downstream specialty and formulation businesses. The company is seeing healthy demand for MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate). Substitution of MDI for less effective materials remains a key driving factor.

Moreover, the acquisition of Demilec, a leading manufacturer and distributor of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation systems in North America, is expected to contribute to volume growth in Polyurethanes in the December quarter.

However, the company expects its Polyurethanes business to be affected by seasonality in the fourth quarter as it is seeing customer destocking through the supply chain amid global trade tensions and a weaker growth picture in China. It expects this to offset the incremental benefits of its expansion actions in China. The company also does not expect any benefits of margin spike in its MDI Urethanes business in the fourth quarter. It envisions margins in its downstream Urethanes businesses to remain stable in the quarter.

Revenues for the company’s Performance Products unit are expected to remain flat year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is $514 million.

While seasonality is also expected to affect the Performance Products segment, Huntsman expects improved results in amines and maleic anhydride and steady performance in surfactants to be offset by lower upstream margin in the fourth quarter.

Revenues for Huntsman’s Advanced Materials segment are projected to decline 3.9% from the year-ago quarter as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter stands at $248 million.

Within this segment, Huntsman is seeing higher volumes in the specialty business. However, the company continues to face headwind from higher raw material costs. The company is also seeing weaker orders from certain customers, mostly in automotive markets in China. It expects this softness to contribute to the seasonality in this segment in the fourth quarter.

The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities (CGBC) at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) has completed an ambitious effort to retrofit a 1924 home in Cambridge, Mass., into a living laboratory that will serve as the organization's headquarters. Dubbed HouseZero, the energy-positive prototype for ultra-efficient architecture aims to demonstrate how existing structures can be modified to consume less energy.

Designed by renowned Norewegian firm Snøhetta as lead architect in collaboration with engineer Skanska Teknikk Norway, HouseZero's concepts are driven by radical performance goals, including nearly zero energy for heating and cooling, zero electric lighting during daytime, operating with 100% natural ventilation, and producing zero carbon emissions. Over its lifetime, the structure is intended to produce more energy than was used to renovate and operate it.

CGBC will also leverage HouseZero as a research tool, drawing data from hundreds of sensors embedded within each component of the home that monitor its performance. According to the university, this sensory data will also provide Harvard’s researchers with an unprecedented understanding of complex building behavior. In turn, the data will fuel research involving computational simulation, helping the CGBC develop new systems and data-driven learning algorithms that promote energy-efficiency, health, and sustainability.

“HouseZero’s flexible, data-driven infrastructure will allow us to further research that demystifies building behavior, and design the next generation of ultra-efficient structures,” says Ali Malkawi, founding director of the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities and the creator and leader of the HouseZero project. “By creating both a prototype and an infrastructure for long-term research, we hope to raise interest in ultra-efficient retrofits and inspire substantial shifts in the design and operation of buildings.”

HouseZero's big-picture, prototype goal is to address one of the biggest energy problems in the world today—inefficient existing buildings. Harvard research has found that the U.S. building stock is responsible for around 40% of energy consumption, with housing claiming nearly a quarter of that use. Annually, property owners spend upwards of $230 billion to heat, cool, and power some 113.6 million homes. Addressing the inefficiencies locked into this problematic building stock offers opportunity for curbing its impact on climate change, and HouseZero's strategies could potentially create the blueprint for reducing the average American household's footprint.

The building is designed to continuously adjust itself to reach thermal comfort for its occupants. It combines innovative technologies such as software and sensor arrays with established architectural solutions, such as solar vents, concrete slabs that store thermal energy, and natural ventilation to automatically open and close windows to maintain a quality internal environment throughout the year. Rather than tightly sealing the building, the envelope and the materials that make up HouseZero were designed to interact with the seasons and the exterior environment in a more natural way. 

Spray up to an R-49 in a single pass!

Heatlok® HFO High Lift, Demilec’s first product to leverage ultra-low global warming potential blowing agent, combines an R-value of 7.5 with a 6.5” lift to achieve an R-49 in a single pass. Spray IRC ceiling insulation code in less time than ever before.

What makes it unique?

Heatlok® HFO High Lift leverages Honeywell’s Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent technology, which has a GWP of 1, 99.9% lower than traditional blowing agents. In compliance with the Montreal Protocol designed to lower the use of global warming potential gasses, Heatlok® HFO High Lift combines all of the benefits of Heatlok with the industries fourth generation of blowing agent.

Who is the product made for?

Heatlok HFO High Lift was developed for contractors looking to achieve the IRC Ceiling Insulation Code by spraying an R-49 in one pass. Heatlok HFO High Lift has superior yield, sprayability, and adhesion.

In our previous article, we looked at the issue of thermal bridging inherent in the use of cold-formed steel framing members.  Cavity insulation in a steel wall is less than half as effective as equivalently rated continuous insulation.  So is there any use for it at all?  Yes, but it might not be what you think.  Most cavity insulation products are very effective at minimizing sound transmission.  Therefore, use continuous insulation to keep warm and insulate the cavities to reduce noise!

Continuous insulation has many applications beyond preventing thermal bridging, however.  Get the details about using continuous insulation as a WRB, air barrier, or vapor control layer at continuousinsulation.org!

While you’re here, take a few minutes to watch Joe Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng, talk about insulation and steel framing:

For additional information, please review the previous videos in this series:

1. Fear Building Envelopes No More with This Website & Videos
2. Thermodynamics Simplified Heat Flows from Warm to Cold
3. Moisture Flow Drives Water Induced Problems
4. Video: How the 'Perfect Wall' Solves Environmental Diversity
5. Video: How Important Is Your WRB?
6. Video: A Reliably Perfect Wall Anywhere
7. Video: The Best Wall We Know How to Make 
8. Video: How to Insulate with Steel Studs

An update of a National Institute of Building Sciences study on benefit-to-cost ratios of hazard-mitigation investments has determined an 11:1 BCR over time for jurisdictions that have adopted model building code updates versus those that still use codes from the 1990s. The study also found a 4:1 BCR for investments to improve hazard resistance in utility and transportation infrastructure.

The 11:1 BCR for communities that adopt the latest model codes is “remarkable and represents a huge return on investment,” says Keith A. Porter, a research professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the principal investigator for the NIBS study, “Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: 2018 Interim Report.” NIBS released  the report on Jan. 8 at its Building Innovation 2019 Conference & Expo, held Jan. 7-10 in Washington, D.C., and attended by 330 people.

NIBS and the International Code Council are trying to make a case for states and local jurisdictions to adopt the latest model codes, developed by ICC. “Communities that lag the rest of the country in code adoption will ultimately pay in terms of the health, safety and welfare of the public, of businesses, of visitors and of the community’s future vitality,” chorus NIBS and ICC in a joint statement. “Strengthening codes for natural hazard disaster mitigation makes economic sense,” the groups maintain.

“We knew there was a benefit to invest  in mitigation but, prior to the study, we didn’t have a way to quantify it at a national level,” says Ryan Colker, until December a NIBS vice president and currently executive director of ICC’s Alliance for National Community and Resilience.

The 498-page report expands on a 344-page 2017 report. Primarily funded by the Federal Emergency and Management Agency, both reports examine hazard mitigation investment strategies for earthquakes, wind, hurricanes, river floods and wildfires at the urban interface. The 2017 study found a 4:1 BCR for investments that exceed select provisions of ICC’s 2015 International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC) and a 6:1 BCR for dollars spent through mitigation grants funded through federal agencies (ENR 1/22/18 p. 8).

Implementing those two sets of mitigation strategies would prevent 600 deaths, 1 million nonfatal injuries and 4,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in the long term, says NIBS.

In addition, designing new buildings to exceed the 2015 IRC and IBC would result in 87,000 new, long-term jobs, adds NIBS.

The report offers data on the varying benefits to lenders, communities, tenants, title holders and developers. “The benefits are spread over the community and a whole set of stakeholders,” says Philip Schneider, NIBS Multihazard Mitigation Council director.

This spring, NIBS expects to release BCRs for housing mitigation retrofits. Work is funded by the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. That will add up to $2 million spent on the study, which is a sequel to one released in 2005.

NIBS is seeking several hundred thousand dollars more. Plans call for BCR analyses on mitigation investments in tornado resistance—based on maps expected soon—non-construction business continuity measures and federal programs such as the National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“We have never quantified the BCRs of the federal activities and as a consequence, Congress has under-invested in them,” says Porter.

U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jack Reed (D-RI) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to encourage state-driven energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives that reduce energy costs for low-income households, spur private sector energy innovation and improve emergency planning and response. The Investing in State Energy Act would prevent undue delay in distributing grants through the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and the State Energy Program (SEP) to state agencies and local partners that implement energy initiatives.

Just last month, Shaheen led a bipartisan letter with Senators Collins, Coons, Reed, Murkowski and Cantwell to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry regarding delayed guidance and documentation for the WAP. Their letter was in response to the Department of Energy (DOE) missing an important deadline to deliver information concerning state allocations to WAP grantees. Because of the Senators’ efforts, this guidance was later released to allow states to plan for the upcoming year. 

“This bipartisan legislation will cut through bureaucratic red tape to speed up federal investments in Granite State clean energy projects, helping to lower energy costs for New Hampshire businesses, low-income families and seniors,” said Shaheen. “For New Hampshire to compete in a 21st century economy, our state needs to be at the forefront of energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives, which are critical to our economy, environment and working families. This bill will help ensure federal resources are delivered to New Hampshire energy programs in a timely and efficient manner, benefitting residents and companies across the state.”  

For more than 40 years, the DOE assistance programs, WAP and SEP, have provided technical and financial assistance to states, tribal governments and U.S. territories to encourage the adoption of clean energy and energy efficiency practices and technologies.

The Weatherization Assistance Program enables families, seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, freeing up limited resources for other essentials like food and medicine. The State Energy Program provides cost-shared resources directly to the states for allocations by the governor-designated State Energy Office to support energy projects, such as energy emergency planning and response, private sector innovation in clean energy and state-driven energy infrastructure modernization. Both WAP and SEP were proposed to be eliminated in President Trump’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019.

The Investing in State Energy Act would direct the DOE to distribute the full annual award amount of WAP and SEP funds to states, tribes and other direct grantees no later than 60 days after funds are appropriated by Congress. By establishing these mandatory deadlines, the Investing in State Energy Act encourages local high-impact projects that serve families in need and ensures that states continue to receive critical resources to meet their energy goals. 

The text of the Investing in State Energy Act can be read here. The bill is supported by the National Association of State Energy Officials, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Consumer Law Center on behalf of its low-income consumers, the National Community Action Foundation and several additional organizations listed here.

FPInnovations, in collaboration with 475 High Performance Building Supply and the Canadian Wood Council, engaged in a project to introduce wood fibre insulation products into Canadian construction through a series of high profile demonstration buildings. The objective of the work was to expose wood fibre insulation products through these demonstration buildings to accelerate their acceptance into Canadian and other North American markets.

As part of this project, FPInnovations would like to invite all interested parties to attend the following webinar:

Wood Fibre Insulation in High Performance Construction: Canadian Demonstration Buildings

Date: February 13, 2019
Time: 10:00 (PT) / 13:00 (ET)
Presented by: Bob Knudson

Dry process wood fibre insulation products have been used in a variety of structures throughout Europe for more than 25 years, where the market is developed and growing. Wood fibre insulation was installed into three different buildings in three different climate regions of Canada, a single family residence near Collingwood, ON, a co-op multi-family housing project in Saskatoon, SK, and a laneway house in Gibsons, BC. All three buildings were designed to meet or approach Passive House standards. Wood fibre insulation products were readily adapted into wall and roof systems that had originally called for other insulation products. Performance monitoring of each building is to be carried out for at least one year.

To join the meeting:
Adobe Connect link: http://fpi.adobeconnect.com/feb_13_2019/
Phone number: 1-888-518-2098
Participant code: 30653884#

Here is a quick snapshot of Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance's (SPFA) recent efforts:

Life Cycle Assessment & Environmental Product Declarations Now Completed

 The SPFA recently completed a 5-year update to its ISO-compliant Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for three generic Spray Polyurethane Foam product formulations that include open-cell, closed-cell, and roofing foams. Completed in conjunction with thinkstep (formerly PE International), the 2018 updates also include a fourth product type: low-pressure two-component closed-cell insulation and sealant foams. Additionally, two, rather than one, separate EPDs have been published, aligning with the Spray Polyurethane Foam industry’s move toward the integration of blowing agents with low Global Warming Potential (GWP). One EPD includes HFC-based blowing agents for closed-cell foams, while the second EPD includes HFO-based (low-GWP) blowing agents. These work products represent the most credible and influential resources for sustainability and industry professionals to measure sprayfoam’s cradle-to-grave footprint and see the quantified benefits over other technologies.

The newly updated LCA is available on www.sprayfoam.org. The EPD covering open-cell SPF and closed-cell, roofing and low-pressure SPF using HFC blowing agents, as well as the EPD covering open-cell SPF and closed-cell, roofing and low-pressure SPF using low-GWP HFO blowing agents can be found on the ASTM EPD website, linked from SPFA’s website.

Pest Industry Challenges to SPFA 

Over the past 18 months, the pest management industry has increased criticism of spray foam insulation, making the product a divisive issue among the respective industries and customers. The pest industry in the southeastern U.S. claims SPF inhibits their ability to perform structural inspections, with some even voiding long-term warranties for customers with SPF. Media coverage of this issue has exacerbated the situation, however, it is important to note not all pest management companies embrace this negative SPF approach and wish to work with our industry. At a joint SPF-pest industries meeting in January, some reasonable discussion between both parties occurred. Expect this to result in some consensus on future cooperation and guidance.

Additionally, the fumigant-side of the pest industry has also levied claims against SPF, but SPFA has asserted that the issues raised are not SPF-specific, rather the result of modern energy efficient construction and increasingly demanding building codes which promote unvented attics made with numerous technologies including SPF. The fumigant industry claims that unvented attics with SPF impact ventilation of their deadly poison from homes. The crux of the problem is their reliance on 1970s era leaky house and vented attic design to aerate. Because SPF is prevalent in attics, this contingent has assigned blame for this dangerous, life-safety problem on spray foam. SPFA is addressing this issue individually and through industry partnerships with the intention of correcting the record and public understanding. Offers of assistance, building science education, ventilation design and more from SPFA to the fumigant companies have been made, but are yet to be accepted. Keep watch for more on this ongoing issue.

SPFA Professional Certification Continues to Grow

The SPFA launched its Professional Certification Program (PCP) in 2013 to increase the quality of SPF installations. It is the first SPF certification program in the U.S. which is ISO 17024 compliant, standards-driven and internationally recognized. PCP establishes a set of criteria through which individuals can demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities in working safely, efficiently and professionally. The value of the PCP is in its promotion of SPF applications that ensure highest possible performance, as well as the health and safety of the contractor, occupants and other trades on the project.

The PCP is continually improving and adapting to the needs of the industry. Currently under development is a new certification for an SPF Consultant—a program which will be launched this year. The SPFA PCP Certified Consultant is the person who enhances the value and function of SPF installations by providing expertise and specialized knowledge of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) to other interested parties. SPF is also working with ICAA to produce an industry-first testing program for new professionals in the industry, the SPF Entry Point Program. For more information on the PCP and to start your own certification process, visit www.sprayfoam.org/certification or contact certdir@sprayfoam.org today.

"All homes need a certain amount of fresh air," said Keith Saunders, a Home Comfort Specialist with Larry Janesky's Dr. Energy Saver of Connecticut. "But we usually find most homes, especially older homes, leak more than two to three times what they should."

Saunders should know. He teaches technicians at the country's largest energy conservation training center in Seymour.

That pink fiberglass insulation you've seen for years is not really that good, according to Saunders. Professionals like Dr. Energy Saver use cellulose insulation, which is basically ground up newspaper, and pump that into attics.

Of course, it's not just the top of the house. Drafts can come through any hole in the wall for light switches and outlets, and from the basement, too.

"So, if you're sitting up here and you feel cold air coming up from the basement or cold floors, it's oftentimes because the rim joist, the piece of wood that attaches to the foundation, is not insulated," Saunders said.

Spray foam insulation can solve that problem. Ironically, even your chimney can be making your house colder with gaps between it and the rest of the house.

Carlisle Companies Incorporated, a global leader in commercial and industrial building envelope products through its Carlisle Construction Materials (CCM) operating segment, is pleased to announce the creation of a new business unit: Carlisle Spray Foam Insulation.

In November 2017, Carlisle Companies acquired Accella Performance Materials, the premier specialty polyurethane platform. At that time, Accella's portfolio of spray foam brands included three well-known spray foam competitors: Premium Spray Products, QuadFoam, and BaySeal. The Carlisle and Accella teams conducted interviews to determine if a total rebrand would help to clarify and define the overall spray foam brand.

To that end, Accella Polyurethane Systems' spray foam business unit is being rebranded as Carlisle Spray Foam Insulation (CSFI). Additionally, products previously designed and marketed by Accella (BaySeal®, Foamsulate™, and QuadFoam®) will be consolidated under CSFI's new SealTite family of products. These changes are intended to help reduce market confusion, simplify product identification and selection, and communicate to customers that they can feel confident in choosing CSFI's SealTite products.

Al Restaino, Vice President of Marketing for Accella's portfolio of businesses says, "We looked at either rebranding to Carlisle or consolidating products into something new. Not surprising there were many opinions on the strategy. We started the brand strategy process in May of 2018 leveraging a high profile outside agency and conducting more than 600 interviews including contractors, distribution, architects, and consumers. The results were overwhelmingly positive that we should simplify our message of who we are and leverage the Carlisle name. The brand strategy being unveiled during the SPFA show in Daytona Beach is the result of those interviews and leverages the enormous value and impact our customers have on the positioning of the brand strategy."

Mike McAuley, Carlisle Construction Materials' Executive Vice President of Diversified Products and General Manager of Accella, says, "This new branding platform will help differentiate our company and our products and will improve the customer experience. The journey will take some time, but will ultimately provide needed leadership for the industry."

Moody Ozier, the Marketing Director for Accella's spray foam business unit says, "We are especially excited to offer the most comprehensive, complete product portfolio under the SealTite name as we sunset our other legacy brands."

Among the many new LP Building Solutions products set to launch in 2019 is the LP WeatherLogic Air & Water Barrier, an integrated sheathing and structural board system.

“We are proud to bolster our portfolio of high-performance products with two new solutions that will prove beneficial in multiple phases of the design and construction process,” said Brad Southern, LP’s CEO. “We are constantly working to deliver better products for better results, and LP SmartSide Smooth Trim & Siding and the LP WeatherLogic Air & Water Barrier system are outcomes of our commitment to this.”

The WeatherLogic system incorporates two products – a 4 by 8 structural OSB with a weather-resistant overlay and LP’s WeatherLogic Seam & Flashing Tape, a specially-formulated acrylic tape. Taken together, the products serve as both exterior sheathing and structural paneling, forming a tight envelope that is vapor-permeable.

According to the manufacturer, the system protects the home during construction, improves energy efficiency, and promotes a clean jobsite.

“Efficiency – in all of its forms – is a priority for us at LP,” says Marcelle Lacy, LP’s senior corporate brand manager for OSB and EWP. “With our WeatherLogic Air & Water Barrier system, builders install protection they can count on in less time while enhancing the home or building’s energy efficiency. We are particularly proud of all this product has to offer as well as a 30-year warranty which is longer than the usual house wrap warranties.”

Humans aren’t good “talking” thermometers, because we “feel” thermal conductivity.  Want proof?  As my college physics prof often told us, you’d rather the outhouse had a wood seat than a porcelain one on a cold night (even though they’re the same temperature)! 

Well, just like porcelain, steel is a much better thermal conductor than wood, and sometimes that’s a disadvantage.  For example, if a 6” steel stud wall is filled with nominal R-21 cavity insulation, the effective R-value of the wall only increases by R-9.05 [see footnote 1].  That’s more than a 50% reduction, merely due to the thermal conductivity of the studs!  So rather than insulate the cavities of steel stud walls, it is much better to attach continuous insulation to the outside of hjgh conductivity framing.  An unbroken layer of insulation significantly reduces the problem of thermal bridging, which saves money both during construction and during the lifetime of the structure

Not only is the use of continuous insulation on steel stud walls a good idea, it is a requirement of the IBC and the IECC!  To learn more about this application, visit continuousinsulation.org, where resources are available specifically for commercial buildings.  Use the steel wall calculator to see how much continuous insulation can improve your thermal performance

Please watch this short video, with in a series of videos we are highlighting, for a quick review of the concepts introduced above:

For additional information, please review the previous videos in this series:

1. Fear Building Envelopes No More with This Website & Videos
2. Thermodynamics Simplified Heat Flows from Warm to Cold
3. Moisture Flow Drives Water Induced Problems
4. Video: How the 'Perfect Wall' Solves Environmental Diversity
5. Video: How Important Is Your WRB?
6. Video: A Reliably Perfect Wall Anywhere
7. Video: The Best Wall We Know How to Make

Marcin Pazera (PIMA Technical Director) was recently appointed to serve as the Secretary for the National Institute of Building Sciences’ (NIBS) National Council on Building Codes and Standards (NCBCS). In this role, Mr. Pazera will contribute to the robust dialogue on codes and standards related to the building and construction industry. Mr. Pazera will ensure that positions on key advocacy topics related to energy efficiency, resiliency, and building enclosure performance are addressed and discussed. Mr. Pazera aims to collaborate with other NIBS Councils, including the Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) to provide and deliver relevant and accurate information on polyiso product performance.

Icynene-Lapolla, the global supplier and manufacturer of high performance, energy efficient building envelope solutions, today announced it’s all new Icynene OC No-Mix insulation. An open-cell spray foam solution for both homes and commercial structures, the high-performance material is notable for providing enhanced energy efficiency, long-tern energy cost savings and an easy no-mix application. Icynene OC No-Mix will be introduced this week at Sprayfoam Show 2019 in the Icynene-Lapolla booth #603. 

Icynene OC No-Mix is ideal for application in critical insulation areas within the structure including: cavity walls, crawl spaces and attics (both vented and unvented) as well as floor, ceiling and interior roof assemblies. The professionally-installed spray applied material seals the structure, providing a continuous air barrier, offering exceptional performance in the reduction of heat transfer. The product also significantly reduces unmanaged moisture. These performance characteristics enhance indoor comfort and air quality, maintain temperatures, and greatly reduce heating and cooling demands as well as the costs associated with them. The insulation offers the added benefit of noise attenuation.

“The energy savings and application ease of Icynene OC No-Mix provide attractive advantages to both the contractor and the property owner,” said Doug Kramer, president and CEO of Icynene-Lapolla. “As the first no-mix spray foam solution to join the Icynene product line, we believe demand for this insulation will be high for use in new and retrofit home and commercial applications.”

Icynene OC No-Mix is ideal for use across climate zones and may be spray-applied in a wide range of temperatures. During application the insulation solution requires no mixing, providing additional ease to contractors, saving time and costs associated with installation. The insulation firmly adheres to framing members and substrates and can be used to fill stud wall construction. It has passed the AC 377 End Use Configuration Criteria meeting building code requirements for use with no additional ignition barrier required with limited-access attic and crawlspace applications and is approved in multiple fire rated constructions. Icynene OC No-Mix also meets Florida FBC 2017 building code energy requirements and complies with IBC, IRC, and IECC 2018, 2015 and 2012 requirements.

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company and leading building products manufacturer, announced today the launch of JM Formaldehyde-free™ Cavity-SHIELD™, a NFPA 13 compliant, fiberglass batt insulation for use in the concealed spaces of multifamily buildings. Cavity-SHIELD provides an alternative solution to sprinklers in the interstitial space and further increases the breadth of JM’s full line of insulation products. 

Cavity-SHIELD fiberglass batts are a noncombustible insulation product made up of long, resilient glass fibers bonded with thermosetting resin. The batts are designed for use in concealed spaces between floors, serving as a passive fire solution for limiting potential flame spread between and through floors. 

When installed per the NFPA 131, Cavity-SHIELD eliminates the need for sprinkler systems within concealed floor spaces, saving construction time and money and eliminating long-term maintenance and water leaks. 

Additional product advantages include:

• Simple installation: Batts are friction-fit into cavities, without the need for special equipment, reducing the time and resources required for installers to complete the job
• Smart engineering: Available in a wide range of thicknesses, Cavity-SHIELD can be easily cut with a standard utility knife to fit in any cavity size 
• Cost-effective alternative: Cavity-SHIELD is another option for construction professionals looking for passive fire protection and a cost-effective alternative to blow-in or sprinklers in the interstitial space
• Durability: Fiberglass has proven to withstand the life of the project and will not rot, mildew or deteriorate
• Formaldehyde-free™: JM Formaldehyde-free™ insulation products promote higher indoor air quality and environments, while also limiting exposure to harmful volatile organic compounds, which could cause health problems
• Sound control: Cavity-SHIELD offers the same acoustical reduction benefits between floors when compared to other JM insulation products

 “Johns Manville is committed to ensuring customers have the product options available matched to their specific needs, and we recognized an opportunity to create an alternative fire protection product for customers with Cavity-SHIELD insulation batts,” said Mandy Schweitzer, Senior Product Manager at Johns Manville. "Offering a batt product that combines passive fire protection with the high-quality standards customers expect from Johns Manville, allows for flexibility in project options, ultimately saving both time and resources.”

Johns Manville Formaldehyde-free™ Cavity-SHIELD™ is available immediately. Visit JM.com or call 800-654-3103 to learn more.