Photo courtesy Owens Corning
Could events of the past year be considered anything other than extreme? Beyond the global pandemic and events in the news cycle, both episodic weather events and new environmental regulations are placing extreme demand on building materials, including insulation used in the building enclosure.
Considering commercial roofs and other areas of the enclosure subjected to extreme demands, insulation will be viewed through the lens of extreme weather, more stringent regulatory requirements, and specific performance concerns posed by mission-critical buildings.
Historic wildfires in the West, tropical storms in the South, derechos in the Midwest, and an infusion of artic air devastating parts of Texas are just some of the recent climate events underscoring the need for commercial roofs to be able to withstand extreme moisture, wind, and thermal conditions. Extreme weather has left virtually no part of North America unscathed.
Weather like this can influence code changes. Managing stormwater runoff is a good example. As interest in sustainable roofs continues to grow, ordinances are beginning to show change and other ways to further reduce buildings’ impact on the environment must also be considered.
In response to climate change, the Canadian government and a growing number of U.S. states have enacted new environmental regulations to support slowing the climate change impacting extreme weather. Currently within the United States, environmental regulatory action is taking place at the state level. On January 1, 2021, new regulations became effective in California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington, and all of Canada banning the use of high global warming potential (GWP) hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents. More states are planning to enact similar laws. An article in our latest sponsored ebook examines how weather, regulations, and critical missions can influence the insulation specification.
This insulation article along with two others appear in our newest ebook “Insulation Best Practices,” a free, downloadable resource. To get your copy in either pdf or digital edition, visit www.constructioncanada.net/ebook/owens-corning-insulation-best-practices-e-book.
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