US practice

Insulation and Sustainability in North America

The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) reports: - ’The use of existing energy-efficiency technologies, such as insulation, are fundamental to successful sustainable development, as regards to both the production and consumption of energy.

Manufacturers of glass wool and rock wool insulation are actively engaged in efforts to reduce emissions and the demand for natural resources and energy used at their manufacturing plants.

These reductions are realized through improvements in energy efficiency (maximized insulation usage), reductions in actual emissions through control technologies, and greater reliance on recycled materials and rapidly renewable raw materials’.

For further information about insulation standards, benefits to health and the environment in the US the following documents are available for downloaded:

Government grants

Recently, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $140.3 million of $243 million in weatherization program grants to 31 states and the Navajo Nation to make energy efficiency improvements in homes of low-income families for approximately 96,560 homes.

The Department estimated that every US dollar spent on weatherization or making homes more energy efficient returns $1.53 US in energy savings over the life of the measures. Tax credits The 2004 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) provides a new homes tax credit of $2000 US to builders who build homes to 50 per cent above the model energy code.

Tax deductions

Additionally, there is a tax deduction (versus a credit) of up to $1.80 per square foot, available to owners or tenants (or designers, in the case of government-owned buildings) of new or existing commercial buildings that are built or rebuilt to save at least 50 per cent of the heating, cooling, water heating, and interior lighting energy costs.