Insulation Institute Blog

As home builders work to decarbonize construction, sourcing low-carbon building materials (including insulation) is an important objective. However, it can be challenging to make informed choices when misleading information about the carbon impacts of products is commonly cited.

NAIMA’s new guide, Setting the Record Straight: Insulation and Low Carbon Buildings, details the embodied carbon of common insulation products, highlights the rapid payback period, and dispels the myth that cellulose and wood fiber insulation products are carbon negative.

New research sponsored by NAIMA and conducted by ICF Consulting shows that 89 percent of U.S. single-family homes are under-insulated, decreasing comfort while increasing energy costs for homeowners.

Using the 2012 IECC as the baseline for home energy efficiency level, ICF used the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 2024 ResStock database to extrapolate a sample of 1 million U.S. homes for this study. All homes that met energy efficiency targets less stringent than the 2012 IECC were deemed under-insulated.

Insulation is one of the best ways to reduce home energy costs, with a national opportunity to save 15 to 45 percent on costs, according to ICF’s Insulation Opportunity Study. With the unprecedented heat making energy costs increasingly unaffordable for all Americans but particularly low-income Americans, this cannot be overstated. A new report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) and the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate (CEPC) underscores the need to rapidly expand energy assistance programs and weatherization activities to reduce the cost burden to these communities.