Early uses of the rock wool insulation trace back to the Hawaiian Islands hundreds of years ago – where huts were blanketed with fibrous wool collected from volcanic deposits where steam had broken the molten lava into fluffy fibers. And although rock wool and slag wool insulations are commonly perceived to be solely for commercial or industrial use by many people today, in reality, they are ideal choices for residential buildings because of their thermal performance, as well as mold and fire resistance.
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Homeowners, Industries and Governments All Play a Role
This Earth Day, April 22 is a good time to highlight the key role of fiber glass and mineral wool insulation in achieving greater energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “Buildings account for 40 percent of energy use worldwide,” NAIMA Interim President and CEO Angus Crane said. “Reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions are global priorities and among the easiest, most impactful ways to do that is ensuring all buildings are energy efficient. Properly insulating and air sealing buildings is critical to optimizing energy efficiency and reducing costs to building owners.”
Details »In recent years, there has been some debate over which insulation products are better at reducing air infiltration. The fact is reducing air infiltration in a home is largely dependent on the air sealing package, not the insulation installed in the wall cavity. A new report published this fall from Building Science Corporation (BSC) affirms that insulation, of any type, is no substitute for proper air sealing and prevention of air infiltration. BSC’s multi-year insulation research project entailed a baseline set of seven test walls, including fiber glass batts, cellulose, spray foam and extruded polystyrene.
Details »Today’s ever-changing building codes and requirements call for builders, architects, contractors, code officials and other building material professionals to have quick access to the facts that help them select the best insulation solution for their specific project.
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