Johns Manville, a manufacturer of an extensive line of energy-efficient building products, announced that JM Spider, a Formaldehyde-free loose-fill fiber glass building insulation material, meets revisions being made by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) to its Envelope Professional Standard.

DENVER – Johns Manville, a manufacturer of an extensive line of energy-efficient building products, announced that JM Spider, a Formaldehyde-free loose-fill fiber glass building insulation material, meets revisions being made by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) to its Envelope Professional Standard.

BPI is revising the standard’s materials selection criteria for dense-pack wall insulation applications in existing homes. Once final, the standard will permit the use of certain fiber glass materials and other dense-pack products that meet the performance criteria.

“We applaud BPI for its commitment to developing and maintaining standards based on facts, especially when the facts challenge industry practice,” said Stephen Crouch, residential market manager for Johns Manville’s Insulation Systems business and board member-elect for Efficiency First, the national nonprofit trade association for home performance contractors. “JM Spider insulation is specifically designed for side wall applications. We tested dozens of prototypes to create a loose-fill fiber glass product with the ideal combination of fiber length and diameter to meet the higher density requirements of side walls and other constrained-space applications. As a result, contractors now have a better-performing alternative to cellulose for dense-pack applications.”

By leveraging the capabilities of its Building Science team and world-class R&D facility, JM spearheaded the effort to drive awareness of the performance of loose-fill fiber glass in dense-pack applications. According to test data, JM Spider insulation exhibits up to 30 percent better air resistance than cellulose when installed at almost half of the density. The revised BPI standard also references a new minimum performance requirement, BPI-102, for air retarder insulation materials, and a new testing procedure, BPI-103, to determine the air permeance of thermal insulation materials. BPI will finalize the standard after a public comment period.

“Our field tests show that in addition to the thermal and air resistance performance of JM Spider insulation, the unique dimensional properties of the material lead to less clogging than cellulose when being installed with a blowing machine,” said Crouch. “What’s more, because of the consistent size and shape of JM Spider insulation fibers, the material doesn’t settle after install like many cellulose products do.”

Originally introduced in 2004 as the JM Spider Custom Insulation system – a spray-in, quick-dry system that utilizes an adhesive and is primarily designed for new home construction – JM now offers JM Spider insulation as a standalone material for use in a variety of applications, including home retrofit. Contractors are still able to use JM Spider insulation with the JM Spider Custom Insulation System, but now have the option to also use the material for BIBS and drill-and-fill applications. For dense-pack projects, JM Spider insulation is installed without adhesive with a standard blowing machine. For more information, visit www.jm.com.