Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Matilda's Planet, a company that develops and manufactures domestic energy-saving products, is hoping to create 55 new jobs after launching its latest insulation system for solid-walled homes. Matilda's Planet said that it will be able to increase manufacturing capacity at its Kenfig Hill plant, near Port Talbot, following a multi-million euro investment backed by Euro565,472 business finance from the Welsh Government.

The extra capacity will be used to produce its Matilda's Blanket product, which was developed in-house using patented technology and is designed to insulate older stone or brick houses that have no cavity walls. It is estimated there are around eight million solid wall homes in the UK that have no insulation, while 34% of homes in Wales were built prior to 1919, before cavity walls became the norm.

Matilda's Blanket uses a slim-line modular panel system which differs from most existing products on the market. The material is stronger than traditional wallboard while each system is made-to-measure using computer-aided design, pre-fabricated and delivered in kit form, so a room can be fully fitted and decorated in a day. Matilda's Blanket has been tested and measured by organisations such as the National Physical Laboratory and the Energy Saving Trust and has been credited with cutting fuel bills typically by around 40%.

"We wanted to keep it in Wales and Welsh Government support ensured it was viable to do so," said David Evans, founder of Matilda's Planet. "We look forward to ramping up production, launching Matilda's Blanket and creating local jobs."

US: Extech Building Materials, a provider of building materials and insulation products for professional builders and contractors, has completed the acquisition of Pasvalco, a natural stone supplier and custom stone fabricator in New Jersey.

Turkmenistan: A feasibility study and project documentation for the construction of plants that will produce basalt fibre is being developed in Turkmenistan, according to local media. Basalt fibre for the production of thermal insulation will be developed from domestic raw materials in the coming years. The prototypes models of the superfine fibres were produced from rocks from the fields of the Balkan Velayat Region.

New Zealand: Import tariffs on a range of building materials have been suspended in a move that is estimated to reduce the cost of a new home by US$3500. The suspension was announced in the May budget and comes into effect on 1 July 2014.

"The building materials covered by the tariff suspension comprise about 90% of the cost of the material in an average new house," said housing minister Nick Smith. He added that the tariffs would be suspended for five years. "It includes materials such as roofing, cladding, framing, windows, doors, insulation, plumbing and electrical components."

The government has already removed anti-dumping duties for building materials as part of its strategy to bring down the cost of new homes. "There is no single magical solution. It is about making a whole lot of changes that aggregate together to make homes more affordable," said Smith.

US: Following earlier action by the EU, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to publish guidelines on safer alternatives to the flame retardants that are currently used in consumer and commercial products, including building insulation and products with flexible polyurethane foam.

Flame retardant chemicals such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE) raise concerns for human health and the environment, including potential reproductive, developmental and neurological effects that can be persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic to aquatic organisms.

The EPA has identified butadiene styrene brominated copolymer as a safer alternative to HBCD used in polystyrene building insulation. The substitute is currently in commercial production in the US. Additionally, oligomeric phosphonate polyol has been proposed as a safer alternative to pentaBDE.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is due to decide on 9 July 2014 whether exemptions can be granted to manufacturers of expanded polystyrene (EPS) to continue using HBCD as a flame retardant beyond the August 2015 phase-out deadline. Most international players are switching to the new non-halogen flame polymeric retardant PolyFR.