Cellulose Insulation Exempted from Stringent Fire Testing Codes

A potential barrier to cellulose insulation use that was described in the last issue of EBN (Vol. 4, No. 3) has apparently been solved. The May 1995 issue of

Energy Design Update reported that the three model code bodies are removing recently adopted provisions that would have required more stringent fire testing for cellulose. Both ICBO and SBCCI passed emergency measures in April to exempt cellulose from the new requirements, and BOCA was considering such a change. The changes were prompted by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), which notified the code organizations that CPSC, not local or state government, has authority to establish safety requirements for cellulose. EDU called this action “a blow to the fiberglass industry’s effort to restrict use of cellulose.”