EPS Insulation to Gain Wider Exposure

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation has lower environmental impact than most other types of rigid foam insulation, because it contains no CFCs or HCFCs. (CFCs are still widely used in isocyanurate and polyurethane foam insulation, while HCFCs are used in extruded polystyrene.) But EPS has long suffered from a lack of coordinated nationwide marketing. EPS manufacturers tend to be smaller companies that market and sell products locally. EPS is rarely sold in building supply yards.

Now the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) has launched a nationwide program called ACCU-R to ensure quality control and name recognition for EPS roofing products. Under­writer’s Laboratory (U.L.) and Radco are overseeing the quality control measures of the program. While the program is initially directed only toward commercial roofing applications, William Roeling, Program Manager of the EPS Insulation Board Council at SPI says the program will be expanded. “Our long-range plan is to include side-wall, perimeter foundation-wall, and cavity-wall products,” said Roeling, though he could not specify a time-frame. Higher-density EPS (1