BASF supports the U.S. Department of Energy by providing an energy efficient solution to re-side residential homes
- BASF partners with New Jersey Institute of Technology and United Way for Re-Side Right project
BASF has partnered with New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and United Way to develop an energy efficient housing solution. NJIT’s Re-side Right project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Building America Program, incorporates BASF’s Neopor® Graphite polystyrene (GPS) rigid foam insulation in a re-siding effort for existing homes.
Re-Side Right will test and validate a high-performance re-siding method in the greater New York City area that installs Neopor under exterior siding to increase a home’s thermal performance and durability. Because residential homes are typically only re-sided once every 25 years, Re-Side Right presents a unique opportunity to create energy savings for homeowners that otherwise would be lost in a standard re-siding effort.
NJIT’s Center for Building Knowledge will be training contractors on the installation process, conducting before and after testing at selected homes, preforming energy modeling, and evaluating the projected project impact to see improvements.
“BASF is committed to offering sustainable and durable products to homeowners,” said Eric Weisenbach, Residential Business Development, Neopor, BASF North America. “The graphite in the Neopor polymer matrix allows it to reflect and absorb radiant heat energy increasing the material’s resistance to heat flow. This will improve the energy efficiency in homes year after year.”
The project will follow these 8 steps:
- Contractor screening and selection: United Way and NJIT interview potential contractors and select three to install the Re-side Right package.
- Develop homeowner survey instrument: NJIT Center for Building Knowledge will survey potential homeowners for their input.
- Convening of contractors for pre-retrofit informational session: Selected contractors to participate in a virtual training to understand the building science that supports the Re-Side Right approach and the installation process.
- Test house recruitment, selection and participation: Searching for homes in both Long Island and North Jersey built around the 1980's.
- Document pre-siding conditions at 5 test houses: Pre-siding conditions to be documented include combustion safety testing, blower door testing, infrared scans, and gathering measurements to support energy modeling.
- Install Re-Side Right package on 5 houses: Contractors to install Neopor under new siding on homes exterior.
- Construction observation and video documentation: On site monitoring during the installation process.
- Document post-siding conditions: After installation, combustion safety testing, blower door testing, infrared scans, and energy modeling will measure home improvements.
Architect, Christine Liaukus, Housing and Community Development Manager at NJIT's Center for Building Knowledge, hopes that Re-side Right findings will encourage contractors to continue using this practice as a whole house solution to reduce a homeowner's energy cost and carbon footprint in the years to come.
Be sure to follow along for updates on the project here: https://neopor.basf.us/residential/re-side-right
About Neopor® Plus Graphite polystyrene
The rigid insulation material Neopor® is a construction grade, graphite enhanced polystyrene (GPS) insulation. It contains specially embedded graphite particles giving its grey color and that reflect heat radiation like a mirror reducing heat loss. The foam is produced by BASF’s exclusive partner network in more than 30 locations across North America for applications such as Cavity Wall, Continuous Insulation, EIFS, Stucco, Precast Concrete, Perimeter, and Roofing. Further information: www.Neopor-Insulation.com
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 18,800 employees in North America and had sales of $18.4 billion in 2019. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com/us.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.
