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Existing Insulation Materials Performance
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introduction
The Existing Insulation Materials program
researches and evaluates the properties and performance of existing insulation
materials. We are striving to develop accurate and reproducible data for the
building materials community and will offer recommendations for the appropriate use of
thermal insulation to conserve energy.
issues
There is intense competition among manufacturers of various
types of insulation products, such as fiberglass versus cellulose and mass
insulation versus reflective insulation. New insulation products are
developed by individuals or other organizations that sometimes have insufficient
technical knowledge of thermal performance evaluation. Therefore, an
unbiased third party needs to take a leading role in measuring properties
of insulation materials, developing test methods, and disseminating information
and recommendations about the thermal performance of insulation to the building
industry.
objectives
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Interact and exchange technical information
with the building materials community, professional societies, industrial
associations, and federal / state agencies |
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Improve test procedures to determine the properties of
existing insulations
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Encourage the appropriate use of insulation to reduce
energy usage in buildings
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research
A major achievement of the program was the completion and
publication of the updated
DOE Insulation
Fact Sheet, a document that provides consumers with objective third-party
recommendations on the use of insulation in residences. A continuing
effort is devoted to the activities of the American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) Committee C-16 on Thermal Insulation. Staff members chair
task groups that develop and maintain standards on the measurement of the
thermal performance of attic insulations under winter conditions, long term
thermal resistance of closed-cell plastic foam insulation, material specifications
for evacuated panel insulation and stabilized cellulose, measurement of total
hemispherical emittance, measurement of thermal transmission properties using
the unguarded screen heater apparatus, and measurement of emittance using
portable emissometers.
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Standard methods for testing the settling
of wall insulation |
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Temperature dependence of the thermal properties
of building materials |
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Effects of moisture on thermal properties
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Reflective materials and radiation control
coatings |
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Composite building panels |
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Corrosion issues related to insulation for
metal-framed buildings |
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| RESEARCH PROGRAM MENU SELECTIONS
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