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We're also looking at providing an eight- inch unit," says Michael Bousfield, a technical representative with Cascadia. "The smaller sizes address continuous insulation and split insulation applica- tions. The demand for larger sizes is in northern areas." A new terminal at the Fort McMur- ray International Airport instanced the quest for high effective R-values. The project involved two layers of insula- tion. One was five inches with a five- inch Cascadia Clip. Also, says Bousfield, another three-inch layer of insulation was supported by a steel Z-girt. The plan is to release an eight-inch clip this fall. A recent envelope renewal project in Vancouver provides dramatic metrics on the kind of savings that are possible from improved thermal performance of the envelope. The retrofit of a con- crete condo tower, called The Belmont, reduced total building suite heating costs from $18,000 to just $2,000 per year, Bousfield says. Cascadia provided clips and windows with fibreglass frames for the project. Sometimes, matching materials to the application is the easy part – espe- cially if you already make the product. The challenge can be in connecting with customers when a distribution major decides to drop your product, as hap- pened to Tech-Crete Processors Ltd. The firm had been making con- crete-faced insulated ( CFI) wall panels, complete with a patented clip mount- ing system for easy installation, that were sold through Dow Canada, since 1991. Tech-Crete had also been making concrete-topped insulated (CTI) roof panels for Dow since 1983. "We had to rebrand and change our business model. We still use Dow foam, though, but now we market what used to be known as Roofmate CF and CT as Tech-Crete CFI and CTI," says Ryan Hanniford, the oper- ations manager at Tech-Crete. The firm has gone from a third party manufacturer to a brand name and manufacturer that sells to distributors. The panels should eliminate several stages of site work. "Without it, you would have a multi-stage process on- site – foam installation, parging, fin- ishing, then seal it. Instead, you have a finished product," Hanniford says. He adds that industry people had thought the products – CFI and CTI – were gone from the market. "But the message has got out. We've seen a sharp spike in demand, requests for technical data, lunch-and-learns. There has been a lot of interest," says Hanniford. Perceptions of an expanded range of applications seems to be helping struc- tural insulated panels ( SIP) from Struc- tural Panel Inc. get wrapped around ever more buildings. The kind of SIPs that the company makes were mostly used for the frozen food industry in the past. "Now they're being used for storefronts, commercial and industrial buildings. They are no longer just being bought for their thermal performance. They are better looking now, so the market is growing," says Kyle Rogers of Structural Panels. Adding variety to the SIP range of colour options the company offers is helping to drive up sales. Last year, the company introduced a metal SIP with a brick-like facade. Soon after, the facade was used for the front wall of a ware- house, the contract for which, without the brick-like option, might have gone to another cladding firm. Often in the past a warehouse client would order cladding for three walls from Structural Panels and get the fourth wall from another outfit. The company makes t wo panel types. One is Isowall, metal-clad with expanded polystyrene ( EPS) insula- tion. The other is Rockwall, also metal- clad, but with fire-rated metal wool insulation. "Compared to other systems, it is lighter, easier and faster to install, while keeping its thermal efficiency," Rogers says. As the demand for better thermal performance continues, companies can be expected to keep introducing new products or upgrades to existing ones. Classic Plus, a high-density open-cell foam from Icynene, is a case in point. "With an R-value of four-per-inch, it is ideal for architects and builders in areas requiring a higher R-value to meet the latest building code requirements," says the company's regional sales director, Bruce Young. Like Classic Plus, Icynene's Proseal, a Type II closed-cell foam, was also introduced recently. "The product has opened up many doors for us within the Canadian architectural community while helping land some significant projects for our commercial dealers," Young says. When it comes to training, licens- ing and ongoing field quality assurance of spray polyurethane foam insulation ( SPF), the Canadian Urethane Foam Con- tractors Association (CUFCA) continues to be there to provide consumers, build- ing owners and government agency with the confidence in the product and installation. CUFCA works will all parties to have SPF used in every conceivable applica- tion. The SPF Quality Assurance Pro- gram used by CUFCA ensures that the product is installed according to man- ufacturer's instructions, the National Standards and appropriate installa- tion standards and specifications. The program also provides the consumers, building owners and government agen- cies with confidence in the spray poly- urethane foam industry and a superior installed product. ■ october 2014 /25 Insulation Firestone Bldg_1-2v.indd 1 14-08-19 4:11

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