Adds Chuck McGavern, director of sales for building insulation at Johns Manville, “Customers have more options for meeting their project’s needs than ever before. Whether their goal is R-value, air sealing or vapor retardance/barriers, we are seeing different types of insulation products being used in combination and in different types of building construction.” That has aided some types of insulation, he notes. “Spray-foam insulation systems and mineral-wool products are becoming more popular among consumers.”
The types of materials vary based on climate and code requirements for that location,” notes Ken Jacobson, partner at Principia market research. “Spray foam is particularly strong in the South,” he says as an example. “Energy codes are tightening everywhere, but the approaches to meeting the needs vary by region, and the variety is largest in the colder regions.”