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An inside job on insulation

2/20/2018

Insulation is a behind-the-scenes, unsung-hero-type category — but a heroic category nonetheless. The market is looking forward to 7.6% annual growth in U.S. demand through 2017, according to a 2013 study from The Freedonia Group. In the residential market, there are double-digit annual gains ahead thanks to a rebound in housing starts.



But a lot of the insulation making the rounds these days is not our grandfather’s insulation.



For one, anyone who’s underestimated the importance of energy-efficient homes might soon have no choice but to reconsider. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently pointed to consistent survey trends indicating that energy efficiency is tops among buyers’ desired features.


“Our builder members are telling us that more and more buyers are looking at new homes for their efficiency in design and functionality,” said NAHB chairman Tom Woods in a statement. “Whether it’s improved insulation or sustainable building materials, today’s new homes can reach higher energy performance and greater durability than was possible even 20 years ago.”



According to Ken Forsythe, senior product manager for CertainTeed, moisture and mold control is where the cutting edge lies these days — which, then again, ties back to air sealing.



“Air tightness is rapidly becoming central to new building codes, affecting all aspects of the building envelope performance,” he said. “However, as the air tightness of a home increases, there’s yet another new challenge: moisture. The same continuous seal that keeps air leakage out of the home could be trapping harmful moisture in the cavity.”



As a result, products like CertainTeed’s SmartBatt with Moisture-Sense Technology and MemBrain Smart Vapor Retarder & Air Barrier are designed to release intruding moisture by adjusting their permeability according to the ambient humidity.



Legislation also frequently helps speed the innovation rig along. For example, new changes to California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards Energy Code have brought attention to conditioned versus unconditioned attics. In response, Owens Corning came to this year’s International Builders’ Show with a new ProPink High Performance Conditioned Attic System, which employs advanced building science research to deliver optimal performance in unvented attics with HVAC units. All together, the system targets key areas, such as roof deck transitions, exposed sheathing joints, penetrations eaves and gable ends.



Then again, true-blue fiberglass insulation remains king and is projected to grow the fastest, followed by reflective/ radiant and cellulose insulation, The Freedonia Group said.



Though all these new innovations will prompt retailers to remain on the cutting edge of the market’s insulation offerings, it remains to be seen whether any of them will completely usher in a new guard of products.


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