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Energy Efficiency | Green Programs Life Cycle Assessment | Adverse Weather Sustainability / Life Cycle AssessmentThe Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) completed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of open and closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation in buildings to quantify cradle-to-end of life across the entire life cycle. The LCA was conducted to assure builders, designers, and consumers that the products are indeed part of a responsible and effective energy and environmental construction solution. The life cycle approach to evaluating the energy and environmental impacts of products is critical in understanding these impacts and for developing environmental improvement strategies. For SPF insulation, the use phase energy savings and avoided environmental impacts result from a high R-value and reduced air infiltration. These positive impacts significantly offset the impacts associated with manufacturing SPF, which are quantified using a holistic life cycle assessment. Considering only single ttributes (such as recycled or renewable material content), or only the impacts from the anufacturing phase of a product creates a limited and technically flawed perspective on the environmental impact of SPF. The LCA results show that spray foam products save significantly more energy and prevent more environmental impacts during the life of the insulation in a building compared to the relatively minor energy and environmental impacts associated with making the insulation. SPFA LCA Summary Report (48 pages) According to a 2002 US Department of Energy report, heating and cooling costs amount to 50-70% of the energy used in the average American home. With the costs of heating and cooling going up, this is a concern of most home and building owners. Most of us know to turn off the lights to conserve energy but don’t think to look to insulate our homes/buildings to more efficiently heat and cool them. Builders and architects are now turning to spray polyurethane foam (SPF) to curb these problems. SPF is one of the most efficient insulation materials on the market today for roof and wall insulation, insulated windows and doors, and air barrier sealants. Why is SPF Energy Efficient?
Energy Calculators:Green Building ProgramsThe Green Building Initiative (GBI)GBI was formed to bring “green building” into the mainstream by helping local home builder associations develop their own green building programs based on the National Association Home Builders’ (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines. Soon after development of this residential program, GBI introduced the successful Canadian based commercial building program known as Green Globes™ to U.S. commercial builders. ResidentialThe GBI supports NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines. These guidelines are and aid to local home builder associations (HBA’s) and communities who want to create their own voluntary green building programs. These guidelines can be a resource for home builders and for other communities wishing to create their own green building program. More information and the guidelines themselves can be found on the residential section of GBI’s website here. CommercialGreen Globes is a performance based green building rating system. Much like LEED, this system awards a building owner a rating based on the “greenness” of a building decided by the Green Globes program. It is a web based program which makes it easier and less costly to use then LEED according to GBI. It is an additional tool used to judge the greenness of a commercial building and give credit to the builder and building owner for going above and beyond what is required by code. Look here on GBI’s commercial section for more information on Green Globes. LEEDEnergy StarENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping home and building owners save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. In the home, energy efficient choices can help families save about a third on their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions, without sacrificing features, style or comfort. Homes that earn the ENERGY STAR must meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA. ENERGY STAR qualified homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code. ENERGY STAR qualified homes can include a variety of energy-efficient features, such as effective insulation, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment and ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and appliances. For more information, log on to energystar.gov. Federal Tax IncentivesSpray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) will enable homeowners, commercial building owners, and builders and manufactures of new homes to take advantage of tax credits available as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. A tax credit is different from a tax deduction in that it reduces the amount of income tax you have to pay versus reducing the amount of income subject to tax. HomeownersUnder the Energy Policy Act of 2005, homeowners can take a credit of 10% of the cost up to $500 for installing spray polyurethane foam as an insulation material. This tax credit only applies to the cost of the insulation materials and not the labor costs associated with the installation of these materials. Installations must be done after December 31, 2005, and before January 1, 2008 to qualify for the tax credit. For more information on this tax incentive for homeowners, consult the following helpful links: Commercial Building OwnersA business owner or tenet of a new or existing commercial building that is constructed or re-constructed to save at least 50% of the heating, cooling, ventilation, water heating, and interior lighting energy costs over a building that meets ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2001 is eligible for a tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot. Partial deductions of $0.60 per square foot are available for improvements to the building envelope, lighting, or heating and cooling systems that reduce the total heating, cooling, ventilation, water heating, and interior lighting energy use by 16 2/3%. For more information on this tax incentive, consult the following helpful links: Builders and ManufacturesBuilders or manufacturers of homes are able to receive a $2000 tax credit if they build homes projected to save at least 50% of the heating and cooling energy over a comparable home. A comparable home is one that meets the standards of the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code. Manufactured home producers are able to receive a $1000 credit if they produce homes that save 30% of the heating and cooling costs or that qualify for the Energy Star Homes program. These credits are available for homes placed in service and ready for use from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008. See these sites for further information: Adverse Weather PerformanceSPF roofing systems have exceptional sustainability characteristics. They save energy, are resistant to high winds, protect the substrate against damage from hail and wind driven missiles, and are renewable. SPF has proven durable during recent hurricanes, during hail storms, and other adverse weather conditions. RICOWIRICOWI (Roofing Industry’s Committee on Weather Issues) is a non-profit organization that works to identify and address important technical issues related to the cause of wind and hail damage. SPFA is a member of this committee and has done work in the past to help coordinate and execute research after such weather-related incidents such as Hurricanes Hugo, Charley, and Francis. RICOWI’s research and investigation after these events has shed light on the durability of spray foam roofing during these catastrophic events. For more information on there findings, please contact SPFA. |
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