SPFA: Foam-It-Right @TheSPFA

More Good News! U.S. Home Prices Rose More Than Forecast in Year to July. Click here for full article (via @BW).

New Members This Quarter
Bovio Advanced Comfort & Energy Solutions; Coatings Application & Waterproofing of Illinois; Coatings Application & Waterproofing of Indiana; Distinctive Roofing, LLC; Guardian Building Products; Installed Building Products; Installtec, Inc. dba; Foam-Rite Insulation; Minnick’s; North East Spray Foam; PermaDri, Inc.; Raders Insulation Express, LLC; SES Foam, Inc.; Thermaseal/Lakeside Insulation

Lost Members This Quarter
Anderson Insulation, Inc.; Conservation Services Group; DAS Products, Inc.; Evergreen Insulation Inc.; Flame Control Coatings, LLC; GDA Consulting, LLC; Homeway Homes; Seward Sales Corp.; Urethane Foam Operations; Wilserv

For additional membership updates, click here.

For details on member benefits or joining, click here.

Dow Finds Real Money in Energy Efficiency

Being one of the largest energy consumers means Dow has an interest in using less of it and spending less on it. The company buys 6.5 gigawatts of energy annually and produces another 6.5 gigawatts on its own to help power facilities that make building blocks for plastics, clothing and chemicals that go into more than 90 percent of the manufactured items with which humans come into contact.

An abundance of low-cost natural gas produced from shale plays has prompted Dow to announce $4 billion in new or expanding facilities that will directly benefit from the cheap fuel. That total includes a new $1.7 billion ethylene plant in Freeport, which will employ 2,000 workers at its construction peak and is expected to be completed by 2017.

One of the goals at those facilities and others will be keeping energy use and costs down. That's the focus of George Biltz, Dow's vice president of energy and climate change.

Click on here for full article.

President Obama Encourages Investment in Industrial Energy Efficiency Through Combined Heat & Power

President Barack Obama recently issued a new Executive Order (E.O.) encouraging the development of best practices and investment models for increased industrial energy efficiency, with a focus on combined heat and power (CHP). Executive Orders serve as directives for federal agencies, carrying the force of law, while circumventing the typical legislative process – as Congress is not directly involved.

To accomplish these objectives, this new E.O. requires federal agencies to: “convene national and regional stakeholders to identify, develop, and encourage the adoption of investment models and State best practice policies for industrial energy efficiency and CHP; provide technical assistance to States and manufacturers to encourage investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP; provide public information on the benefits of investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP; and use existing Federal authorities, programs, and policies to support investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP.”

The full text of the E.O. can be found here.

The link above and the copy were provided by ASHRAE,

New Report Aims to Improve the Science Behind Regulatory Decision-Making

Scientists and policy experts from industry, government, and nonprofit sectors reached consensus on ways to improve the rigor and transparency of regulatory decision-making in a report being released Sept. 18. The Research Integrity Roundtable, a cross-sector working group convened and facilitated by The Keystone Center, an independent public policy organization, is releasing the new report to improve the scientific analysis and independent expert reviews which underpin many important regulatory decisions. The report, Model Practices and Procedures for Improving the Use of Science in Regulatory Decision-Making, builds on the work of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) in its 2009 report Science for Policy Project: Improving the Use of Science in Regulatory Policy.

The Keystone Center and members of the Research Integrity Roundtable welcome additional conversations and dialogue on the matters explored in and recommendations presented in this report.

To see full article, click here.

For more information, access the Roundtable's website.

"Introduction to Air Barriers" provides an overview of the performance requirements of air barrier materials, assemblies, and systems, and includes a discussion on relevant building code requirements. This course AIA and state credits and qualifies for HSW. Please check course specifications for all available credit and details: www.aecdaily.com/sponsor/abaa