BASF Neopor ThermaPlus™ plays a part in home-insulation project, shielding customers from unneeded expense while increasing energy savings.
On average, 25-40% of a home’s heating and cooling load can leak out through its walls. In addition, walls that are not making use of continuous exterior insulation are only insulating 75% of the wall while the remaining 25% is represented as thermal bridges as the house’s framing. With the average home changing its outdoor siding just once every 25 years, the decision to increase home performance during the re-siding process has long-term financial consequences. This project demonstrates that a minimal upfront cost to include BASF Neopor ThermaPlus™ along with re-siding will bring future energy savings and home comfort for many years.
In August we reported on the start of BASF’s partnership with New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the United Way, as part of the Re-Side Right project, initiated by NJIT and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program. This led to the first of 10 projects in which homeowners in the greater New York City area, who were planning on re-siding, were elected to have NJIT-trained contractors perform the job — with BASF-donated Neopor® Graphite polystyrene (GPS) rigid foam insulation to be installed underneath the siding. For its part, NJIT will study the insulation’s performance toward increasing the homes’ energy efficiency, as well as the ease of installation and other positive outcomes for the homeowner.
The first house selected was a 1940s-era Cape Cod, in Dumont, NJ. Even with some of the surprises to be expected with a house of that age, the entire job only took one week. The next generation stage of BASF’s weather-resistant, heat-preserving product, Neopor ThermaPlus™, was installed, and BASF’s versatile liquid flashing was also applied to ensure a good seal against water intrusion, and further improve the tightness of the air seal. The study continues as NJIT assesses before-and-after conditions while gaining feedback from the residents following their Re-Side Right upgrade.
Neopor ThermaPlusTM demonstrates our commitment to introducing eco-efficient and sustainable thermal insulation products to the construction sector.
More than 1.2 million homes are re-sided every year; if we can harness even 10% of those jobs for improved performance, we'll improve the efficiency of 120,000 homes annually that would otherwise miss out on that opportunity.