Insulation to Keep Us Warm — Not Warm the Planet

Subtitle:

An update on steps to reduce the global warming potential of insulation materials

Images:

[![][1]][2]

[![][3]][2]

I've been pretty vocal about a big problem with some of our most common insulation materials: that they are made using blowing agents that are highly potent greenhouse gases.

Extruded polystyrene (XPSExtruded polystyrene. Highly insulating, water-resistant rigid foam insulation that is widely used above and below grade, such as on exterior walls and underneath concrete floor slabs. In North America, XPS is made with ozone-depleting HCFC-142b. XPS has higher density and R-value and lower vapor permeability than EPS rigid insulation.) and closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) are made with HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) blowing agents that have global warming potentials (GWPs) many hundreds of times greater than that of carbon dioxide. (My apologies for contaminating this column with so many acronyms!)

### Insulation: good news, bad news

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Straube_SPF__2519_LoRes.jpg (Spray polyurethane foam)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/insulation-keep-us-warm-not-warm-planet
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/12_inches_XPS_094_LoRes.jpg (Sub-slab XPS)

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/insulation-keep-us-warm-not-warm-planet