Tax incentives

One factor that manufacturers hope will drive insulation sales is the federal tax incentive, or stimulus package, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provides opportunities for homeowners and, of course, for the remodelers and contractors that serve them.

Generally, the tax credit is 30 percent of the cost of qualifying materials up to $1,500, but manufacturers are finding that homeowners aren’t necessarily aware of the credit. “We found there are still quite a number of people who don’t know it’s available and don’t know how to go about taking advantage of it,” says Gale Tedhams, director of sustainability for Owens Corning.

Eric Brown, CertainTeed’s director of marketing, says the program seems to be off to a slow start. Interest is substantial, he reports, but sales have still to take off, although he expects they eventually will intensify. “Even without the tax credit,” he says, “insulation is the most cost effective thing you can do to improve your home’s sustainability.”

In addition to the federal tax incentives, remodelers also may want to investigate state and local programs and incentives that may apply to their clients.

Systems approach

Today, there is clearly a systems approach of insulation, Brown points out. If you create a great acoustically insulated wall and leave a gap under the door, he say, you’ll negate the great acoustical wall you built. Similarly, in a thermal insulation application, if you don’t treat the whole wall as a system and properly air seal it — use an appropriate air barrier for the climate you’re in — you’re going to have problems no matter what kind of insulation you use in the wall.

Changes in building codes and building science over the past five to eight years have changed how vapor retarders are installed, Brown says. Depending on the geographical and climatological area, polyethylene sheets might have been used. In other areas, kraft facing was the preferred material.

CertainTeed has addressed the problem with a product especially in regions with extreme seasonal fluctuations in climate and humidity where there’s no foolproof way to keep moisture from getting into a wall. MemBrain changes its permeability with the ambient humidity condition, acting like a traditional vapor retarder to protect wall cavities, but also allows closed building envelope systems to dramatically increase their drying potential with seasonal climatic changes, according to CertainTeed.

It’s limitation is that product goes in right after the insulation, so if a remodeler is not replacing drywall, it can’t be applied in retrofit applications

There isn’t anything wildly new in the insulation business, Brown says, although he does see an increase in the popularity of spray foam. CertainTeed launched its CertaSpray foam, both open and closed cell, last year.

“Of course, fiberglass is the 800-lb. gorilla and owns a huge majority of the marketplace because of its cost-effectiveness and thermal performance, but spray foam has grown faster than any other product category of the past several years,” he says. One of the reasons for its popularity is that is performs two tasks at once by providing thermal protection and being an air barrier at the same time.

There are still areas of the house where you have to you have to air seal and caulk even if you do use spray foam, Brown cautions, such as base and top plates, band joists and knee walls.

Insulation and air sealing

Owens Corning, likewise, emphasizes a systems approach with its recently introduced Energy Complete insulation and air sealing system, which consists of Owens Corning’s PINK fiberglass insulation — either batts or blown-in loose insulation — and Spray Foam with Flexible Seal Technology.

The sealant is particularly safe and easy to apply, says Owens Corning’s Gale Tedhams. While with some foams the home must be vacated during application because of off-gassing that occurs, this is not necessary with the Owens Corning product. Installers do not need to wear the same protective gear that is required with some other foams.

“As you look at the building science around high-performing homes, it’s really important to have that good air sealing as well as adequate insulation,” Tedhams says of the system.

Installers are trained and certified by Owens Corning. “We provide extensive training,” Tedhams says, “to make sure that they understand how to use the system, how the machine works and where to do the sealing. We’ve found places in the home where it’s very important to seal and which are often overlooked.”

Owens Corning also provides sales and marketing tools for contractors to help them, including online information about tax credits.

In addition, Owens Corning announced it has started manufacturing zero ozone-depleting Foamular Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) rigid foam insulation. The company says the new blowing agent technology meets the requirements of the Montreal Protocol which requires the phase-out of the hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) 142b, an ozone-depleting compound, by January 1, 2010.

One size doesn’t fit all

When it comes to insulation, one size — or one type — of insulation doesn’t fit all applications. Johns Manville, for example, has two loose-fill products, Stephen Crouch, residential marketing manager, insulation systems, relates. Climate Pro is designed for attics, while JM Spider is a very fine, short fiber that goes into walls.

Recent performance tests comparing the fiberglass insulation to cellulose products were announced at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Training Conference in Indianapolis. According to the company, JM Spider has 30 percent better air-flow resistance at 2.2 lbs. per cu. ft. (pcf) than cellulose at 4.0 pcf. It achieves R-15 in a 2x4 wall at 2.2 pcf compared to an R-11.6 for cellulose at 4.0 pcf.

Speaking to the environmental aspects of fiberglass insulation, Crouch notes that a typical pound of insulation saves 12 times as much energy in its first year in place as the energy used to produce it, a ratio cited by many in the industry.

Crouch also says that JM’s loose-fill insulation contains no binders or VOCs, and where binders are used they are acrylic-based and contain no formaldehyde, which helps maintain favorable indoor air quality.

Insulation and Air Sealing

It is important to recognize the ability of insulation to limit air movement is not the same as air sealing, cautions the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Insulation reduces air movement only within the space it occupies.

It will not reduce air movement through other cracks between building parts. For example, controlling air movement within a wall cavity will not stop air that leaks between the foundation and the sill plate or between the wall joists and a window frame.

Use the E-Inquiry Form for more information on the following air sealing product suppliers:

• DAP #144
  
• OSI #145
  
• Fomo #146
  
• Franklin International #147
  
• RCD Corp. #148

Use the E-Inquiry Form for more information on the following insulation suppliers:

• BASF Corp. #133
  
• Bonded Logic #134
  
• CertainTeed #135
  
• Corbond #136
  
• Dow #137
  
• Dryvit #138
  
• Icynene #139
  
• Johns Manville Corp. #140
  
• Knauf #141
  
• Owens Corning #142
  
• RHH Foam Systems Inc. #143

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