Continuing code changes and growing awareness among consumers have made builders re-evaluate their energy designs and the insulation products they use. As restrictions grow and new products enter the market to meet these needs, contractors are looking to dealers to help them select the most efficient and effective options.
“We’re at a transition point with the direction of the building codes,” says Ted Winslow, brand product manager of building sciences, systems and technical marketing at CertainTeed. Past codes have tightened energy requirements each time, he notes, allowing prescriptive options to meet the requirements. “Now, customers are more concerned that the 2012 code requires more changes than additional insulation can meet. And more municipalities are adopting the code at a faster rate than they did past codes. Builders see that they’ll have to meet the 2012 code requirements quickly.”
Those changes are leading builders to look for new answers. “We are getting more questions from builders because they’re seeing the code changing and they’re concerned about the best approach and whether they should use an impermeable layer,” says Gary Parsons, a fellow with Dow Chemical Co. “We need to help builders understand the facts.”
 Universal Forest Products is the exclusive distributor for Atlas ThermalStar LCi-SS, a new structural sheathing product that is said to provide long-term R-value, high moisture protection and termite resistance. The line includes a variety of products, including exterior, interior and cavity-wall applications. It offers a range of compressive strengths from 10 psi to 60 psi. |
