Maximizing energy performance to cost in new construction homes is every homebuilder’s goal and every homebuyer’s expectation. Research shows that homebuyers want energy efficiency but also need affordability. For builders committed to maximizing efficiency, fiberglass and mineral wool insulation products offer both performance and cost-effectiveness.
As homebuilders 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.
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 tool that leverages the capabilities of NAIMA’s 3E Plus pipe insulation thickness calculator for commercial and industrial facilities is now available. Within just a few minutes, the 3E Estimator can give users a ballpark estimate of the energy and emissions savings from adding insulation to the piping in an industrial facility.
Driven by the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, the clean energy transition saw a record-shattering year in 2023, according to the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and BloombergNEF in the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook released Feb. 21.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released its annual U.S. Energy & Employment Report, a comprehensive summary of national and state-level workforce, industry and hiring information in the energy sector.
The National Association of Realtors has released its 2023 Realtors and Sustainability Report – Residential, which shows that the majority of these real estate professionals (63 percent) find promoting a home’s energy efficiency very or somewhat valuable.
The building industry has struggled with building trades recruitment and retention issues for more than a decade. The aging construction workforce, lack of skilled trades instruction in schools and stiff competition for workers have all contributed to the issue.
The U.S. Department of Energy last month released the latest version of the Zero Energy Ready Home requirements for single-family homes. Version 2 of the ZERH requirements included an update of the thermal envelope insulation levels to those required by the 2021 Residential IECC, whereas the previous version (V1 Rev 8) stipulated 2015 IECC thermal insulation requirements.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released the U.S. Energy Employment Report, an annual report that takes a comprehensive look at national and state-level employment data for the clean energy sector.
