NAIMA has just released a new publication, Retrofitting Vented Attics: Solutions That Work. The guide details how to properly insulate vented attics while allowing proper air flow through various types of vents, including soffit, ridge, box/slant, gable, turbine, and power vents.
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While home affordability has risen to the top of the national challenges list in recent years, Habitat for Humanity has been tackling the issue for nearly 50 years to benefit low-income families. Insulation Institute recently talked with Adrienne Goolsby, Habitat for Humanity’s senior vice president, U.S. and Canada, about the company’s builds and how it keeps the cost of ownership, not just home building, at the center of its operations.
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New home construction defects are far too common in residential buildings. According to a white paper from Professional Warranty Service Corporation, 25 percent of new homes may experience some form of structural defect, and most latent defects appear between the first four to seven years. Most of those problems can be avoided with good, thoughtful design and good training.
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Insulation does more than keep homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is the foundation of resilient, affordable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable living. As the national dialogue around housing affordability grows, it’s worth noting these four ways that insulation creates homes that last, save, and sustain.
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The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently released its 2025 Residential Sustainability Report, showing increasing interest in home energy efficiency. Consumer interest in residential energy efficiency isn’t new, as efficiency tops the list of most desired features in a home. What’s striking this year is that more consumers than ever are specifically asking about energy efficiency.
Details »The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released an analysis this week that shows that in states that have adopted the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), there has not been a decline in new construction homes. This finding directly contradict claims made by some home builders that more stringent energy code requirements deter new construction.
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, ACEEE examined single-family home permit rates in the five largest states that adopted the 2021 IECC. It found that before the code update, the month-to-month number of permits fluctuated up and down but roughly followed national building trends.
Examining Construction After Code Changes
After the code update, ACEEE observed permits continued to bounce up and down, generally following national trends. Thus, code updates had no apparent impact on new home production.
The bill savings each month dwarf the smaller increase in mortgage payments, says ACEEE. NAIMA’s newly released guide, “Insulation, Energy Codes & Housing Affordability,” also substantiates the positive impact more modern building energy efficiency codes have on housing affordability.
Other Studies Support This Finding
ACEEE notes that two separate studies support the idea that advanced energy codes do not impact housing construction. A study by Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and Slipstream showed that strengthened energy codes in Illinois did not affect housing construction in the state compared to adjacent counties in a neighboring state. Separately, a study this year from Canary Media found that a Massachusetts town that adopted a far more stringent code (requiring all electric homes) experienced a new construction boom.
Why It Matters
ACEEE’s findings show that new residential construction is cyclical, but energy code updates do not adversely impact new home construction. Solving America’s housing crisis will require a continued focus on reducing ownership costs to help affordability while also building more homes.
“We can and must advance both at the same time,” ACEEE says.
NAIMA has just released a new guide, titled “Insulation, Energy Codes & Housing Affordability.” The publication details the positive impact that modern building energy codes have on housing affordability.
For most homeowners, utility costs, including heating and cooling costs, rank among the top three expenses after their mortgage. Building homes to a more modern energy efficiency code saves homeowners money over the long term and has a host of other benefits.
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Michigan State University (MSU) researchers have published analysis that concludes that large AI models can produce effective retrofit decisions but are less likely to identify which can deliver the best result most quickly and at the lowest cost. The study is one of the first to look at how large language models (LLMs) perform in determining how to assess efficient and effective building energy retrofits.
Details »NAIMA recently announced the results of its annual recycled content survey, which reports its members’ use of recycled materials. In 2024, NAIMA members in the United States and Canada used more than 3 billion pounds of recycled glass and slag in the production of residential, commercial, industrial, and air-handling thermal and acoustical insulation.
NAIMA released a new report addressing concerns raised by building occupants and trades about glass fibers in HVAC ducts. The report details the results of studies conducted over 35 years that show that fiberglass duct liners and fiberglass board exhibit little to no fiber erosion on surfaces in typical HVAC ducts.