News from the insulation industry.

Consumer Education Tested

A campaign to help consumers learn how to cut their fuel costs was tested recently in Indianapolis in advance of a potential national roll-out. The program, created by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), provides consumers with information about the EPA’s Energy Star Homes program.

The centerpiece of the program is an informational Internet web site (www.aboutinsulation.org) where consumers can learn about insulating their homes and obtain details about the EPA’s Energy Star Homes program for new construction. Energy Star Homes have energy efficiency upgrades, including increased insulation, which can reduce a home’s heating and cooling use by 30 percent.

To publicize the web site, billboard ads appeared around Indianapolis. The ads featured the message, “Walls, Not Wall Street: Insulation, Your Smarter Investment.” The idea is that insulating a home to Energy Star levels not only reduces energy consumption, but can increase the value of the home at resale.

“At a time when the stock market is very much on people’s minds, we thought consumers would understand and appreciate the juxtaposition of the two investment options,” Ken Mentzer, president of NAIMA, says. “We believe consumers are keenly aware that heating costs likely will spike this winter and want to do something about it. Insulating is easy economical and effective.”

New NAIMA Officers for 2001-2002

Late last year, the board of governors of the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association elected officers of the organization for 2001-2002. Elected as chairman of the board was Thomas L. Caltrider, senior vice president of the Insulation Group for Johns Manville, Denver. Caltrider, who is responsible for all of Manville’s insulation products, both residential and commercial/industrial, initially assumed the NAIMA leadership in August of last year following the departure of CertainTeed’s Bruce Cowgill.

Dave Brown, vice president and president of the Insulating Systems Business for Owens Corning, Toledo, Ohio, was elected as NAIMA’s vice chairman.

Kenneth D. Mentzer was elected president and CEO of NAIMA, and Angus Crane was elected vice president and general counsel.

“Together, Tom Caltrider and Dave Brown represent a strong leadership team that can successfully move our industry forward in promoting the energy and environmental benefits of fiber glass, rock wool and slag wool insulation products,” Kenneth Mentzer says. “With the energy supply shortage and price increases we face this winter and in the coming years, we are fortunate to have Tom and Dave’s leadership in focusing American consumers on the role our products play in providing energy solutions.”

Insulation Testing and Applications

Papers are invited for the Fourth Symposium on Insulation Materials: Testing and Applications, sponsored by American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee C16 on Thermal Insulation. The symposium will be held October 21-22, 2002, in Charleston, S.C.

This Fourth Symposium will report progress in testing and applications of building and industrial insulations. Emphasis will be placed on insulation materials and systems properties, test methods and techniques for measuring these properties, and material and system performance in residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Papers are sought in the following areas:

• Properties of insulation materials, including thermal, mechanical and hygric;

• New test methods, calculation standards and procedures for insulation materials;

• Proficiency, round robin or ruggedness testing results for precision and bias statements;

• Performance of residential and commercial building systems;

• Applications of industrial insulations for high and low temperatures;

• Advancements in foam insulations used in buildings and appliances;

• Development of novel building insulation materials;

• Long-term performance and durability of insulation materials and systems;

• Review of international standards

Prospective authors are requested to submit a title, a 250-300 word preliminary abstract and an ASTM paper submittal form by March 1, 2001, to Dorothy A. Fitzpatrick, Symposia Operations, ASTM (phone: 610.832.9677). Paper submittal forms are available from Fitzpatrick or from the symposium chairman, Andre O. Desjarlais, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, MS 6070, P.O. Box 2008, Bldg. 3147, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6070 (phone: 865.574.0022; fax: 865.574.9354; e-mail: yt7@ornl.gov). Do not send abstracts via fax or e-mail.