Buildings use one-third of the Nation’s energy, two-thirds of the Nation’s electricity and account for 40 percent of the Nation’s emissions. Polyiso insulation is one of the most energy efficient roofing and sheathing insulations and independent research has found that polyiso can dramatically reduce energy costs and emissions while offering a first cost advantage.
 
Between 1999 and 2003, 22.8 billion board feet of polyiso insulation were installed savings billions of dollars in energy costs. If however, building owners and facility managers had added just one inch of polyiso above the minimum R-value, $11.2 billion in energy costs and 281 million barrels of oil could have saved. (Case Study: Barrels of Oil)
 
By using polyiso roof insulation, building owners and facility managers can meet their budgetary constraints while exceeding thermal performance requirements. An independent study comparing the first-cost installation of polyiso to the first-cost installation of expanded and extruded polystyrene found savings of $93,000 to $146,000 when polyiso is used instead of extruded polystyrene and $60,000 to $95,000 over expanded polystyrene. By adding an additional inch of polyiso – thus improving the energy performance of the building through increased R-value – building owners and facility managers can still save money. The study showed higher levels of polyiso saved between $72,000 to $113,000 compared to standard levels of extruded polystyrene and $40,000 to $79,000 compared to standard levels of expanded polystyrene.
 
Polyiso also offers superior fire performance. Polyiso insulation is the only high thermal performance insulation that has both FM 4450 and UL 1264 approval for direct to deck application.
 
The commercial building community is reaching out to their suppliers for credible and timely information about the building products they use. To meet those needs, polyiso manufacturers are partnering with the Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA) to educate building owners about the many benefits of energy-efficient buildings and construction materials.