Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/175815
The model code, which sets minimum design and construction requirements for energy ef iciency, has been adopted by some U.S. state and municipal governments. A 2012 edition of the IECC has been issued. "Many jurisdictions are legally mandating via international code adoption, local or regional codes, the amount of insulation required for a product or region. Often, prescribed minimums are just that. Do the math to determine just what is the most effective amount of insulation bene iting your project," advises Ruppert. Although new products, systems and materials are coming onto the market all the time, the easiest optimization of thermal ef iciency does not necessarily involve the latest products or system. When it comes to foam board insulation, one doesn't need the latest building envelope system or energy ef iciency infrastructure – like a bio-fuel-powered electrical system, for instance – to signi icantly improve the thermal barrier between outdoors and inside, says Ruppert. Instead of one, use two layers of insulation, with staggered or offset joints. "The two layers will provide greater performance and design lexibility at a modest additional investment of time and effort. For example, mechanically fasten the irst layer and adhere the second in an offset manner. This will both bury the fastener and disrupt the open board-to-board joints characterized by a single layer application. Always incorporate, where possible, two layers of insulation. It's just one more layer," Ruppert says. Given that buildings in Canada and other western countries account for some 35 to 40 per cent of emissions, their consumption of energy is no small matter. Good insulation has a pivotal role in saving energy and supporting sustainability, in the view of specialists like John Trapp, president of TotalR Insulation Solutions. His irm is planning to obtain B Corporation certi ication and he expects auditing to be complete by year end. "The certi ication means a irm has invested in sustainability. And there are metrics. We're seeing increased demand for tangible metrics accomplished by greener buildings," he says. He sees certi ication as an assurance to clients and others that an enterprise has attained a benchmarked standard of sustainability. B Lab, a non-pro it organization, certi ies B Corporations the same way TransFair certi ies fair trade coffee or USGBC certi ies LEED buildings, according to the B Corporation website. TotalR specializes in products like laminated metal building insulation (MBI) and mineral wool insulation. "MBI is a good it for our sustainability goal. On average, 55 per cent of MBI consists of recycled content. A lot of old MBI is sent to the land ill but it could be recycled or re-used," Trapp says. Mineral wool, which TotalR obtains from Roxul Inc., is increasing market share in Alberta, he says. "Roxul products are fully reusable within their process." A product like Roxul's, with its resistance to temperatures up to 1177 Celsius or 2150 Fahrenheit and non-combustibility, can reduce lame spread and smoke in the event of a ire. "Stone wool insulation that is ire resistant with zero lame, and zero to ive smoke development can help protect occupants, especially in high-occupancy buildings," says Wendy Pole, building envelope segment manager at Roxul. ■ Photo courtesy Durabond Products Limited. Aloft Vaughan Mills, Vaughan, ON. Applicator: Limosano Plastering. System: Quantum Select. Insulation p.20-23Insulation.indd 23 9/11/12 11:38 AM