Insulation Institute Blog

Posts By: Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd

Competition Highlights Quality Insulation Installation

There’s no question that the quality of the insulation installation has a tremendous impact on the comfort of a home. With temperatures dipping across the country and fall weatherization on the minds of many homeowners, insulation contractors are likely seeing an uptick in interest from consumers in adding insulation to their homes — particularly with news that roughly 90% of U.S. homes are under insulated. As homeowners look to hire qualified professionals to complete the job, the skills of the workers installing the insulation will have significant impact on its performance — and ultimately on the comfort of the home.  Therefore, encouraging installer excellence is a worthy goal, particularly if done in a fun, competitive way.

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Competition Highlights Quality Insulation Installation

Regulatory Watch

New emissions rules for Wool Fiberglass and Mineral Wool product facilities

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has signed the Final Rules for the Wool Fiberglass Manufacturing and Mineral Wool Production MACT Standards (“Final Rules” or “Rules”), and the Rules have been published in the Federal Register (80 Fed. Reg. 45,279 (July 29, 2015)). The Final Rules represent a significant success for NAIMA and its members. Because of the tremendous effort of NAIMA and its members – responding to multiple information requests and EPA proposals, participating in many in-person meetings with EPA staff and management, and arranging numerous EPA site visits to many facilities – EPA ultimately issued feasible rules.

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Regulatory Watch

Regulatory Watch: Spray Foam Insulation Impact Assessment Standard

Standardized Methods Needed to Assess Potential Impacts of Spray Foam Insulation Products

Spray foam (SPF) insulation manufacturers, regulatory agencies, indoor air quality professionals, testing labs, air quality consultants, instrument vendors, and other stakeholders met in California on April 30 – May 1, 2015 to address the potential impacts of SPF insulation products on indoor air quality and to establish re-entry or re-occupancy times after product installation in a building and post-occupancy ventilation needs.

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Regulatory Watch: Spray Foam Insulation Impact Assessment Standard

ENERGY STAR’S “2015 Rule Your Attic” Campaign Promotes Insulation

This fall the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program will launch its second annual “Rule Your Attic” Campaign to increase homeowners’ awareness of the financial, comfort, and environmental benefits of adequately sealing and insulating their homes. Through this campaign Energy Star hopes that homeowners become knowledgeable of their home’s energy use and take corrective actions either themselves, or by working with a contractor, to increase their home’s insulation.

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ENERGY STAR’S “2015 Rule Your Attic” Campaign Promotes Insulation

One Size Does Not Fit All: Climate-Specific Passive House Building Standard Announced

While the idea of a super-insulated, high-performance house began in North America in response to the 1973 energy crisis, interest in this concept declined in the United States and Canada in the following decades.[1] Subsequently, the concept picked up steam in the early 1900s and developed into Passivehaus in Germany. Passivehaus was designed to emphasize low energy use, health, comfort and resilient construction in a German climate, so when the concept regained popularity in the U.S. in the early 2000’s the German Passivehaus standards did not consider the multiple and varying climate zones of North America.

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One Size Does Not Fit All: Climate-Specific Passive House Building Standard Announced

Regulatory Watch: What you need to know about insulation marketing

Insulation Marketing: Regulations That Guide Conduct

As the fall re-insulation season approaches, many companies will begin to focus more effort on marketing directly to homeowners. As this occurs, it is important to ensure that all marketing conforms to the various federal guidelines and regulations, which impact not only insulation but many consumer products.

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Regulatory Watch: What you need to know about insulation marketing

Spray Foam Safety and Re-entry Times: What Has Changed and What Hasn’t

Over the past few months, Icynene has announced that it is offering new spray foam products with reduced re-occupancy and re-entry times for trades and homeowners. There is already uncertainty as to the “right” amount of time that is needed and these announcements about reductions only add to that uncertainty. It is important to understand how these new recommendations came about and what they mean for spray foam safety.

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Spray Foam Safety and Re-entry Times: What Has Changed and What Hasn’t

Regulatory Watch

EPA Targets Reflective Insulation for Removal from “Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR” Program

In April 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a letter to Reflective Insulation Manufacturers informing them that EPA is considering removing reflective insulation from the “Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR” Program and adding them to the list of Excluded Products. This was based on EPA’s concerns that to date, no reflective insulation manufacturers had met the certification requirements for the “Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR” Program for any of their products.

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Regulatory Watch

OSHA Final Rule on Confined Spaces and Spray Foam

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued its Final Rule on confined spaces – 29 C.F.R. Part 1926 Subpart AA. “Confined spaces” include any space large enough for a worker to enter it. The scope of the regulation, therefore, includes crawl spaces and attics.

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OSHA Final Rule on Confined Spaces and Spray Foam

NAIMA Insulation Manufacturers at the 2015 International Builders Show

NAIMA’s insulation manufacturer will be among the more than 2,000 exhibiting brands present NAHB International Builders Show, Jan. 20 – 22 in Las Vegas. IBS is the largest light construction show in the world and will for the second year, be co-located with the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show to create Design and Construction Week, with anticipated attendance of more than 75,000 specifiers, builders, dealers and suppliers.

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NAIMA Insulation Manufacturers at the 2015 International Builders Show