Insulation Institute Blog

Posts By: Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd

2021 Record Year for Clean Energy

Despite the ongoing pandemic, 2021 was a record-breaking year for investment in the energy transition and renewable power, battery storage, and sustainable transportation, according to the 2022 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, published by BloombergNEF (BNEF) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). This tenth annual edition of the Factbook concludes that unprecedented injection of new capital into companies, technologies, and projects, as well as a wave of supportive new policies, drove the growth in clean energy transition and energy efficiency.

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2021 Record Year for Clean Energy

Get Free Online Grade I Training

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, improperly installed insulation and air leakage can waste 20 percent or more of the energy used to heat and cool a home. For builders, this can wreak havoc on productivity, resulting in callbacks, jeopardizing code compliance, reducing HERS scores, and delivering homes that are less energy efficient and comfortable for homeowners.

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Get Free Online Grade I Training

Survey Pegs Keys to Retention in Skilled Trades

The Building Talent Foundation (BTF) recently released the results of a survey on talent retention in the residential building and skilled trades arena. The results could help home builders and contractors improve employee retention strategies in a hot housing market faced with numerous pressures, including competition for workers due to the pandemic.

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Survey Pegs Keys to Retention in Skilled Trades

Controlling Air Flow in the Common Wall

It’s difficult to determine how much air is entering a house through walls that are built, not only for shelter and support but also to prevent airflow as an energy conservation measure. However, several ASTM tests are available to accurately measure airflow through common walls to aid in determining problem areas and finding ways to abate unwanted airflow.

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Controlling Air Flow in the Common Wall

Fiberglass & Mineral Wool: High Performance Priced Right

No matter your building challenge, fiberglass and mineral wool will meet the job’s demands. Fiberglass and mineral wool insulation make up 72% of the insulation material in new homes for a reason.[1] Both products are highly cost-effective selections to meet desired labeled thermal performance.

Our new guide, “Fiberglass & Mineral Wool – High Performance Priced Right,” considers the many benefits of fiberglass and mineral wool insulation, including acoustical performance, improved indoor air quality, and sustainability.

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Fiberglass & Mineral Wool: High Performance Priced Right

Industry Use of Recycled Content Grows

NAIMA just released a new factsheet summarizing the industry’s use of recycled materials in 2019 and 2020. Over the two-year period, U.S. and Canadian insulation manufacturers used 4.1 billion pounds of recycled glass and 1.33 million pounds of recycled slag in the production of thermal and acoustical insulation.

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Industry Use of Recycled Content Grows

HERS-Rated Homes Top 300K in 2021

This week, Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) reported that 313,153 homes received a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Score in 2021. The number of HERS homes continues to break records, having eclipsed the 299,775 in 2020. More than 3 million homes have been rated since the inception in 1995 of HERS scores, which are a home’s equivalent of a miles-per-gallon rating for cars.

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HERS-Rated Homes Top 300K in 2021

5 Ways Climate is Reshaping Home Building

According to a report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this week, 2021 was the sixth warmest year on record.[1] Further, the hottest decade ever recorded occurred between 2009 and 2019.[2] The planet’s warming trend is forcing home builders globally to get creative to address the challenges we’re confronting. Here are five ways the climate is reshaping housing.

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5 Ways Climate is Reshaping Home Building