Get Our Email Newsletter

IN DEPTH: Insulation

“Different homeowners have different levels of engagement,” says Dave Kosanka, director of products and pro-grams for residential insulation at Owens Corning. “Some will prescribe to the builder what they want based on their research, while others just want to ensure their home meets the code and don’t have specific ideas on how they want that to be achieved.”

New Products Arriving

With so many products and systems to be reviewed in a new home, especially one that isn’t custom-built, homeowners don’t always consider insulation methods as long as the proper values are reached. But they do pay attention during remodeling projects that include siding, notes Jason Culpepper, vice president of sales at Progressive Foam Technologies. “The key challenge we have is ensuring the contractor takes a systems approach to the project. We have to raise consumer awareness to the value of insulation.”

LBM Resources

White Paper: Achieving Growth During a Labor Shortage

This White Paper shows how Epicor can help boost your LBM business. Topics covered: How Did We Get Here? Industry Impact What You Can Do ...

As a result of the changes, builders are looking at different products to find the best way to meet evolving needs. At the same time, manufacturers are introducing new products to help builders find the solution that fits their situation best.

“The variety of products is really growing in the market,” says Dawn Habgood, vice president of research solutions at Principia, a market-research and consulting firm. “The supply chain is more fragmented today than in the past.”

Builders should be aware that the clock is ticking. “The adoption of the 2012 code will come fairly quickly,” Johns Manville’s McGavern says. “There typically is a lengthy lag from considering the new code to its adoption in most states, but now we see that time is really becoming compressed greatly from the past.”

- Advertisement -

Part of the search for new products comes from builders realizing that one size doesn’t fit all. “You cannot insulate a home with one type of insulation alone,” says Ted Winslow, building product manager for building science systems and technical marketing at CertainTeed Insulation. “It takes a holistic, systemsthinking approach to create complete indoor comfort.”

Many builders turned to spray-foam applications as requirements tightened. But not all were satisfied with that solution.

“Recently, there was a snap move to new insulation products, especially spray foam, due to its air-sealing capabilities,” Knauf ’s Welch says. “But now builders are looking for more cost-effective solutions to achieve the same results.” Principia’s Habgood also sees that trend. “Spray-foam products are very hot, but they’re pulling back some now,” she says.

- Advertisement -

Adds Johns Manville’s McGavern, “Spray-foam products are more complex and expensive, and there has been a mixed bag of results from builders. A lot of the rapid growth of spray foam comes from consumers understanding the importance of insulation and asking builders more questions about the various systems and products that are behind the wall.”

Get our free newsletter

Join thousands of other lumber and building material industry leaders and keep up with the companies, people, products and issues shaping the industry.

What's New

Digital Partners

Become a digital partner ...

Sales Comp Study

Download this 55-page, in-depth study by LBM Journal of industry trends in sales force compensation and benefits. See how your organization stacks up.

Webinars

- Advertisement -

White Papers

View all ...

- Advertisement -

Partner Content

View all ...

- Advertisement -

Registration is now open for the LBM Strategies 2024 Conference