Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

New Zealand: Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has officially launched the Warmer Kiwi Homes insulation programme in Christchurch. The US$96m programme is intended to give low income homeowners grants covering two thirds of the cost of ceiling and underfloor insulation. The first year of the programme will focus on insulation grants, with grants for heating available from July 2019.

Egypt: Amir Naguib, the head of GlassRock Insulation, said that the company's total investments reached US$63m by the end of 2017. The company supports the government’s plans to install thermal insulation in commercial, industrial, and residential facilities, according to Daily News Egypt. The mineral wool insulation producer has a production capacity of 50,000t/yr.

China: An investigation by non-government agency the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has found that trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) is being widely used as a blowing agent in the rigid polyurethane (PU) foam insulation sector. The EIA contacted 25 precursor or foam producers and found that 18 of these plants were using CFC-11 in 10 different provinces.

In May 2018 the journal Nature revealed that CFC-11 emissions had increased by around 25% since 2012 despite reported production being close to zero in 2006. CFC-11, other chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and substances that damage the Ozone Layer were banned under the Montreal Protocol from 2010.

The EIA speculates that widespread use of CFC-11 by Chinese PU foam producers may be the source of the reported rise of emissions. It estimates that up to 3500 small and medium sized companies could have switched to using CFC-11 following a reduction in the supply of HCFC-141b, an alternative blowing agent, and lax enforcement of the ban on CFC-11. One company representative the EIA spoke to said that HCFC-141b was US$150/t more expensive than CFC-11.

“This is an environmental crime on a massive scale. How the Montreal Protocol addresses this issue will determine whether it continues to merit its reputation as the world’s most effective environmental treaty,” said Climate Campaign Leader Clare Perry.

The EIA has released its report ahead of the Open-Ended Working Group of the Montreal Protocol meeting in Vienna in mid July 2018.

US: Owens Corning has been recognised by the Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards for three of its insulation products. EcoTouch Insulation, Thermafiber RainBarrier Continuous Insulation and Unbonded Loosefill Insulation have each been independently certified as made with renewable energy and reduced embodied carbon as part of the award scheme.

These products were available for specification and purchase in late 2017. Owens Corning worked with SCS Global Services to develop guidelines for the certification, since no such certification previously existed.

“A building represents two kinds of energy use: ongoing energy to operate the building and embodied energy in the manufacture of the building products. Insulation reduces the operational energy needed for the building. Owens Corning’s new insulation products reduce the embodied carbon inherent in the building as well,” said Jesus Hernandez-Torres, senior Research and Development leader at Owens Corning.

UK: SIG’s sales revenue for the first half of 2018 has remained stagnant due to poor weather earlier in 2018. Revenue in the UK and Ireland fell by 3.1% year-on-year in the period whilst in Mainland Europe grew by 2.9%.

The Sheffield headquartered building materials producer also said in a trading update that it had appointed Ernst & Young as its external auditor. Shareholders previously voted against a bid to reappoint of Deloitte following an overstatement of the company’s profits in 2016. The company has also appointed Alan Lovell and Cyrille Ragoucy as non-executive directors with effect from 1 August 2018.