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OCTOBER 2015 | 31 Insulation A As building insulation technology has advanced over the years, the sector has taken its share of criticism. Fortunately, few insulation controversies have been as notorious as Vancouver's leaky condo fiasco of the early 1990s, which mostly related to envelope design and installation issues. At the same time, however, as a critical component of envelope design and thermal performance, insula- tion products can come under some pretty intense scrutiny. Some of this can stir up controversy and dam- age a product's reputation. In 2010, the US National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) published an article suggesting that the thermal performance of polyiso roof insula- tion may diminish when exposed to extreme tempera- tures, especially in cold climates. Since then, additional articles have been published with a similar conclusion. "The NRCA study said that if you live in a cold climate you should assume that you're going to get R-5 per inch from polyiso foam – and you should use it as a design standard. The polyiso manufacturers asked, is that real- istic? Does thermal performance decrease significantly in a cold climate?" Tyler Cooper, insulation product man- ager at Firestone Building Products, explains. In a city like Calgary, for example, which has a mean outdoor temperature in January of 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and an indoor temperature of 68 degrees, you can assume a midpoint temperature in the enve- lope of around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, Cooper says. "With 40 degrees, you're getting an effective R-5.4, not R-5." Standards organizations like ASTM International and CAN ULC require the industry to report R-values based on thermal performance at 24 Celsius or 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooper notes that at the 75 degrees standard, Firestone's polyiso is rated R-5.7. Some poly- iso products are rated R-5.6, but not less, he says. Hackles were raised by the NRCA study among mem- bers of the Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA) and the group has now responded with its own study, done by Tegnos Research, which provides consulting to the building envelope sector. The Tegnos study included NRCA data and a survey of temperatures across the continent and said that "the R-values calculated do not vary significantly" across a temperature range of 45 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. It concluded, "As a result, separate cold climate and warm climate R-values for polyiso roof insulation do not appear to have any merit." Insulated Metal Panels (IMP) were once mostly perceived as a solution for industrial cold storage, but in recent years have been going mainstream. "We're seeing a steep increase in IMP systems in North America for two main reasons: they're very good for being airtight and providing insulation, and entail very little labour on site," says Conal Hancherow, national manager of business development at Thermo Design Insulation (TDI) Ltd. Besides products for cold storage and industrial applications, the company is supplying panel sys- tems for the commercial and architectural markets. Hancherow points to a product from Kingspan Panels called the KarrierPanel. It is designed as a cost-effec- tive alternative solution to traditional multi-compo- nent wall systems that support metal, tiles, ACM or brick cladding. The versatile system uses a specially designed rail that can transmit loads from a range of facades to the structural supports behind the insu- lated panels. The thermal performance of the KarrierPanel com- pares favourably with a steel frame built-up system, according to a brochure from Kingspan. Combining the allure of perhaps a brick facade with the efficiency of a modern IMP system, products like this appear timely. With the new National Energy Code, the bar is being further raised for the building envelope's thermal per- formance across the country. Even Alberta, sometimes a little slow off the mark in this area, has adopted the new code. It marks a 25 per cent improvement in efficiency over the 1997 code, and all commercial permits in the petroleum-rich province after November 1 this year must comply with the new regime, Hancherow says. He points out that standards or codes in the past tended to emphasize stated rather than effective R-values. But now effective R-values are being used. Beginning November 1, walls for many types of build- ings in Alberta must have an effective R value of 27. "It's a big game changer for the design community. We can expect to see dramatic changes in the way buildings are designed. It's likely that the biggest changes will be in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta," Hancherow says. A new program from Dryvit, which was intro- duced recently, should also mesh well with today's more stringent thermal standards. Called HDCI, which stands for high durability continuous insulation, it is for the company's Outsulation and Stratum Guard fam- ily of systems. Under the program, clients receive all the features and benefits of these EIFS product lines plus a 20-year warranty. "We wanted to offer better warranty, especially around schools where the chances of impact damage is greater. We want to assure people that EIFS can be strong. The 20-year warranty is to show that people really can expect a long-lasting building with EIFS," says Eric McCathie, marketing and technical service associate at Dryvit Systems Canada. Apart from the new warranty, the company has also rolled out a product that is geared to sharply decrease the likelihood of a puncture or dent of an EIFS system that uses it. "The Panzer mesh runs along the entire facade. It's a super-strong mesh for the exterior that's It's A Wrap Insulation systems meet today's tougher energy codes by GODFREY BUDD Polyiso foam insulation from Firestone Building Products.

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