The Woodlands, Texas -- Huntsman Corp.'s spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is being used in custom homes built by Frankel Building Group -- which was recently awarded Houston's Best Grand Award for Custom Home Builder of the Year for 2010.
The homes, at ParkGate Reserve, a development in Shenandoah, just north of Houston, Texas, include a model home at 10 Broadwater, which also received an award as Houston's Best Single Family Green Project.
Frankel is using CertaSpray Open Cell Foam Insulation from CertainTeed Corp. -- a product based on Huntsman's SPF technology. The SPF is used in the walls, cathedral ceilings, attics and the underside of the roof deck to provide an effective, tight, thermal and air barrier. The result is a reduction in energy loss due to air infiltration, and significantly lower heating and cooling costs for the homeowner.
Added benefits include less moisture, outdoor allergens and pollutants, as well as sound, entering the home, resulting in an improved indoor environment. The thermally-efficient building envelope also allows for a reduction in the size of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment required to maintain a comfortable air quality in the home.
"Houston is no stranger to hot and very humid weather in the spring, summer and fall, and cold, damp weather in the winter," said Scott Frankel, vice president, Frankel Building Group, in the Huntsman statement. "We wanted to go with an insulant that provided our clients with a protective shield against a variety of different climates."
"CertaSpray foam insulation offers comfort, energy savings and a healthy indoor environment. Additionally, it can boost the value of a home - all of which are valuable selling points for builders working with potential homebuyers," said Lionel Rossignol, product manager, CertainTeed Insulation. "It is an ideal solution to meet the growing demand by builders and homebuyers for more energy-efficient designs."
To demonstrate the effectiveness of CertaSpray foam insulation, Frankel created a walk-in attic in its newly built LEED-certified model home in ParkGate Reserve to showcase the minimal temperature variation between the attic and the interior of the home. In late June of this year, when the outside temperature reached 100°F (38°C), the temperature inside the attic (sprayed with open-cell foam insulation) remained within 10°F of the temperature within the interior of the air-conditioned home.
"It's one thing to talk about the benefits of SPF -- it's another to actually demonstrate them," said Monica Karamagi, marketing manager, Huntsman Polyurethanes. "In the Frankel model home, a homebuyer can actually see how CertaSpray foam insulation is applied to the underside of the roof deck, and more importantly, can experience first-hand the minimal temperature variation between the attic and the rest of the home due to the application of the SPF insulation."
Largely due to its energy efficiency, Frankel's model home meets the requirements of the following green building programmes: The United States Green Building Council's LEED for Homes Program; American National Standards Institute (ANSI); the National Association of Builders Green Building Standard; Environments for Living Program at the Platinum Level; the Greater Houston Builders Associations (GHBA) Green Built Gulf Coast Certification; ENERGY STAR; the Department of Energy's Builders Challenge Program and the United States Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense Program.
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