SPFA Presents at the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry Annual Conference
SPFA staff including Kurt Riesenberg, Executive Director, Kelly Marcavage, Certification Director, and Dr. Richard Duncan, Technical Director, along with Bonnie Strickler, President of PUFF Inc, all presented at the CPI Annual Conference on various topics. The new SPFA PCP certification program was highlighted along with movement of the program to accommodate company accreditations and international delivery, and SPFA exhibited in the tabletop display area. Attendance was up again for several straight years. Congratulations to CPI for another great event.
SPFA Commits Resources on Sprayfoam to Homebuilders
The SPFA Board announced a commitment to complete a builder’s checklist on SPF to improve SPF contractor – builder communication. The checklist, expected to be surpassed over time with more materials oriented toward the builders and customers, will offer useful information on installation quality, health and safety, typical planning considerations for a worksite, and highlight information about SPFA’s Professional Certification Program (PCP) to inform and empower builders on the topics that are most relevant to them.
"One of the most important things we can do as an industry to maintain a high level of quality, safety and OSHA compliance on the worksite is to coordinate with those other stakeholder industries that typically share the worksite with us," said Kurt Riesenberg, Executive Director of SPFA. "The relationship and communication between builder and sprayfoam contractor in the field is essential for success, and that is reflected in SPFA working with the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) to facilitate similar conversations across our industries," he continued. Read more here.
Hybrid Insulation Guide
SPFA’s Building Envelope Committee (BEC) is finalizing the hybrid insulation guide, developing a model insulation specification (CSI Format), and insulation installation certificate to include fire protection coatings, for SPFA member contractors to use. These new documents will help member contractors to gain new business by improved product-type selection and avoid compliance issues with building code officials.
Start Planning for SprayFoam Convention & Expo, Jan. 26-29, 2014
-Network and develop valuable connections.Join your industry for the SPF event of the year! Imagine the possibilities:
-Find solutions to your pressing business needs.
-Learn about advances in the SPF industry.
-Get the training you need to be the best.
Industry-Level Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for SPF in Progress
In November 2012, SPFA released final reports that documented the SPF industry's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study. This announcement and detailed report can be found by clicking here. This study documents the detailed results of the overwhelmingly net-positive environmental impacts of generic LD, MD and roofing SPF products from cradle to end-of-life. The six impacts studied include primary energy demand, global warming (carbon footprint), ozone depletion, eutrophication (nitrogen release), smog and acidification (acid rain). While the study met all requirements of ISO-14040 and 14044, the results need to be summarized in a third-party environmental product declaration (EPD). EPD's, following the Product Category Rules (PRC) for insulation, provide an important verification of the results that assist in product selection under sustainable building programs such as USGBC's LEED, IgCC, GreenGlobes and other similar programs. UL Environments will be the most likely developer of the SFPA's industry-level EPD. For more information on the EPD development, please contact Rick Duncan, Technical Director of SPFA at rickduncan@sprayfoam.org.
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How to Write a Great Inspection Report Free Webinar, Oct. 29
Learn how to write great home inspection reports in this free webinar, Tuesday, October 29, 9-10 p.m. (EDT). If you cannot make the webinar, register for it to be emailed a recording. Discussions to include three parts of a narrative, past/present tense, standards of practice, material defects, digital photos, and more. Space is limited to 1,000 attendees.
CNA to Offer Cold Weather Preparation Webinar
Source: nrca.net
Chicago-based CNA's School of Risk Control will host its annual Winter Weather Preparation webinar Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. EST to help property clients prepare for upcoming winter weather events. With cold weather on the horizon, now is the time to take steps to avoid costly weather-related property damage and business interruption. Preventative steps, such as servicing heating systems before winter begins and monitoring temperatures in areas that are difficult to heat, can help prevent a claim. For more information or to register for the webinar, click here.
CNA offers additional winter weather tools, including educational bulletins such as Preventing Sprinkler System Freeze Ups and Cold Weather Checklist, which can help identify potential problem areas and minimize cold weather-related property type loss. You can find these bulletins and others by clicking here.
EnergyWise Roof Calculator Online Has Been Updated
Source: nrca.net
NRCA's EnergyWise Roof Calculator Online has been updated to include information from the 2012 version of the International Code Council's International Energy Conservation Code and the 2012 version of the International Green Construction Code.
Accident Kills 2nd Worker at 49ers Stadium Construction Site
Source: npr.org
Edward Erving Lake II, was killed when rebar he was unloading from his flatbed truck fell on him at the construction site of the 49ers' Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. He was an employee of a subcontractor working on the Turner/Devcon project. This is the second fatal accident at the site, and the California/Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other state agencies are already conducting an investigation.
Building Science Experts' Session Is Dec. 11-12
Source: buildingscienceseminars.com
Building Science Corporation is offering a two-day Building Science Experts’ Session seminar that focuses on advanced building science topics. On the first day, Dr. Joe Lstiburek and Peter Baker will discuss Multi-Family Podium Building Envelope Design, Construction and Commissioning. On day two, Dr. Joe Lstiburek will cover Ventilation in Single-Family and Multi-Family Buildings.
Anchor Products to Introduce New Rooftop Solar Racking Attachment Products at SPI
Anchor Products, LLC introduced two new products at the 2013 Solar Power International (SPI) trade show, the U-Anchor 2400™ and the U-Anchor 2600™. These and all the U-Anchor products have been installed on solar rooftop projects for as low as 3.8 cents per watt. The U-Anchor 2400 is a lightweight rooftop attachment system for solar racking systems consisting of a 5.5" galvalume coated steel plate with a 3/8"- 16 stainless steel stud. The U-Anchor 2600 is also a lightweight rooftop attachment system for solar racking systems consisting of a 5.5" galvalume coated steel plate with a 3/8" - 16 stainless steel stud. Learn more at www.anchorp.com, or contact Anchor Products at (888) 575-2131.
Some of the articles in the SPRAYFOAM Professional Fall 2013 issue, which will be released shortly, include:
2013 SPFA CONTRACTOR AWARDS
>>RESIDENTIAL WALL FOAM -- Seven Days in the Desert with Southwest Spray Foam LLC
THRIVING, NOT JUST SURVIVING -- SPF Helps Turns Survival Condos Into Luxury Living Spaces
SPEAKING SENSIBLY -- Ventilation and Moisture Control in Sprayfoam/Tight Homes
SAFETY FIRST -- Isocyanate Enforcement Activities by OSHA
If you didn't receive this issue in the mail or via email and would like to be on future distribution lists, click here to sign up.
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 SPFA Publishes New Membership BrochureAvailable on the SPFA website, the brochure highlights some of the various benefits of membership and activities of the organization as it pursues its mission to represent SPF professionals in areas of technical and environmental leadership, government advocacy, professional certification, industry promotion and outreach, and delivery of a world-class convention and expo. Please check out the brochure if you have been considering joining SPFA and support our mission to serve you.
For more information or to access the application to join, please click here.
SPFA Membership Directory and Buyers' Guide
Members in good standing are listed in this publication, which was mailed to members in September. This directory is also available in a digital format at www.naylornetwork.com/spfa. The convenient digital format allows users to navigate and access the directory's content quickly and easily, on the road or in the office. Use the information provided to contact fellow SPFA members and industry partners throughout the year to share ideas, ask questions, or just stay in touch.
SPFA 2013 National Contractor Excellence Award Winning ProjectsCongratulations to all the winners in the 2013 Annual SPFA National Contractor Excellence Awards. These projects are examples of SPF’s unique performance, applicability and appeal. In upcoming issues of SPRAYFOAM Professional, various winning projects will be spotlighted.
Here are the 2013 winners:
>>Arizona Foam & Spray: Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
>>Spray-Tec Inc.: Bluegrass Community and Technical College Newtown Pike Campus
>>Southwest Spray Foam LLC: Television Personality Steve Thomas
>>Smart Choice Insulation & Roofing, Inc.: The Flour Tower
>>West Roofing Systems, Inc.: Boulevard Terrace & Neal Terrace Apartments
>>Honeywell Building Envelope Solutions: 206,000 sq.ft. re-roofing over BUR with extensive removal
>>Biofoam: Fermilab
>>West Roofing Systems, Inc.: Playhouse Square 14th Street Theatre Roof Reconstruction
>>Insulate SB, Inc: The Book House
>>J. Calman Industries: Coastal Progress – Marine Vessel
SPFA Member Benefits
SPFA knows there are lots of organizations out there that would like to have you in their membership. But if you are in, or getting into, the sprayfoam business, we are the place for you. We work hard to represent you well and give you value back for your support. Click here to find out more.
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SPF Professional Certification Program (PCP) Updates
Since SPFA completed development of the SPFA Professional Certification Program (PCP) and publicly rolled it out at its annual convention and expo in February, the response has been overwhelming. SPFA members and partners -- including Gaco Western, Premium Spray Systems, Demilec, Bayer Material Science, and the ABAA Conference -- have all hosted testing sessions. More sessions were scheduled or are upcoming at CertainTeed, Spray Foam Nation, Conklin, Premium Spray Systems, Quadrant Urethanes, and NCFI, with more being added continually. SPFA is working presently on the development of a Contractor, Distributor and Manufacturer Firm Accreditation program to complement the new certification program. To find out more about the program, enroll, register for a test, or get set up for one of the upcoming testing locations, email admin@spfapcp.org or call (866) 222-5000 and simply state what you want to do.
Spray Foam Nation is offering a 5-Day SPFA training class in Connecticut where you can get SPFA certified. Contractors will be able to take prep courses and exams that will earn them SPFA Certification for various levels (Assistant, Installer, Master Installer & Project Manager).
Day 1: SPFA Assistant Certification – prep course and exam
Day 2: SPFA Installer Certification – prep course and exam
Day 3: Equipment Training
Day 4: Equipment Training/HERS/Medical evaluation*
Day 5: SFN Test/Spray Day
*Medical exam is for lung test/Spirometry Exam and is administered by an MD but is not administered at all of our locations.
NOTE: If you are a current SPFA member, you are eligible for a discount on the exam and prep course. Please call us and after we have verified your membership, we will provide you with a discount code to use. You are not required to take the SPFA exams. If you are interested in taking the classes without the SPFA exam, we have that option available as well as an option to come Tuesday only for the equipment training class. Please call us to find out the fees for these other options.
For details, call (877) 939-2800.
Gaco Western Commits to 300 New SPFA Certifications
"Gaco Western supports the SPFA Professional Certification Program because we believe that industry- 
wide certification is crucial to the long term health of the SPF Industry - we also believe that our commitment to this certification needs to start with us," stated Peter Davis, Chairman and CEO, Gaco Western. "At Gaco, we believe in continually raising the bar on safety, performance, quality and professionalism in the SPF industry," added Tom Sojak, Vice President-GacoWallFoam.
Gaco Western is introducing a GacoWallFoam Qualified Applicator Program patterned after the new SPFA Professional Certification Program. Gaco believes the SPFA Professional Certification Program combined with the company's own Qualified Applicator Program will contribute greatly to the success of Gaco's contractors.
A significant element of both the SPFA Professional Certification Program and the GacoWallFoam Qualified Applicator Program is a commitment to make sure that 300 additional SPFA Certification Exams are completed by October 1, 2014. To make the process of becoming SPFA Certified easier, Gaco will be offering additional training opportunities, simplifying the registration and administration process, and subsidizing the cost of the program for Gaco contractors.
Davis commented, "The SPFA Professional Certification Program is too important for our industry for the program not to be successful. The industry as a whole needs to stop talking about it and start taking action. Gaco has committed to a number - 300 - and I challenge the other system houses and sprayfoam manufacturers to do the same. The future of our industry depends on it."
The Spray Foam Coalition (SFC) of the American Chemistry Council announced its support of the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance's (SPFA) new Professional Certification Program for sprayfoam applicators. The Coalition strongly supports this new program that will continue to expand the ongoing efforts of the spray polyurethane foam (SPF) industry to create the highest standards of quality and professionalism for its customers.
"The SPF industry has for many years and will continue to support the safe and appropriate use of SPF," said SFC Senior Director Lee Salamone. "SPFA has created a first-rate certification program to continually raise the bar on safety, performance, quality and professionalism among SPF industry professionals and help give building owners confidence when choosing an SPF applicator."
SPFA launched its new Professional Certification Program at the Spray Foam 2013 Convention &
Expo. The program was developed in compliance with the ANSI/ISO 17024 standard. Individual certifications will be available at four different levels in the two categories of insulation and roofing. To become certified under SPFA's new program, individuals must pass an exam and meet various criteria for any level of certification they would like to achieve. It is a progressive program with each level based on the candidate passing the exam for the previous level.
SPF is an excellent insulation choice for building owners. It insulates and acts as an air barrier, both of which are critical to making buildings comfortable and reducing heating and cooling costs.
Demilec USA Holds SPFA Certification Seminar
Demilec USA, LLC held a preparatory seminar in June to assist contractors and installers to certify under the SPFA Professional Certification Program. The goal was to prepare the attendees to take the SPFA examinations for the various levels of installer (applicator) certification, plus there was a day of business training and a full day of hands-on training including spray technique, troubleshooting and equipment maintenance. On the final day of training, all students had the opportunity to take the tests for any of the SPFA certifications. For details on future SPFA Certification training with Demilec, click here.
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ASHRAE Seeks Presenters, Posters for HPB 2014 Conference
Presenters and posters are being sought for ASHRAE’s High Performance Buildings Conference will take place April 7-8, 2014, Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, Calif. Abstracts for presentations are due Oct. 25, 2013, while poster PDFs are due Feb. 21, 2014. Additional information can be found at www.hpbmagazine.org/hpb2014.
Call for Papers for ASHRAE/IBPSA-USA Building Simulation Conference
ASHRAE and IBPSA-USA announced a joint conference that merges the IBPSA-USA SimBuild and ASHRAE Energy Modeling Conferences. The joint conference, entitled 2014 ASHRAE/IBPSA-USA Building Simulation Conference, Sept. 10-12, 2014, Atlanta, Ga., currently has a call for papers. Abstracts (400 or less words in length) are due Nov. 4, 2013. If accepted, papers are due March 3, 2014. The conference papers will be a maximum of 8 pages in length.
BPI's Home Energy Auditing Standard and Standard Practice for Basic Analysis of Buildings Released for Public Comment
The Building Performance Institute, Inc. announced that BPI-1100-T-201x: Home Energy Auditing Standard and its companion, BPI-1200-S-201x: Standard Practice for Basic Analysis of Buildings (formerly BPI-109), are now available for public comment for a period of 45 days (through Nov. 18, 2013). BPI-1100-T-201x and BPI-1200-S-201x were developed in an effort to standardize and clarify what is included in a whole-building, science-based energy audit of existing homes.
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>>ASHRAE/IES Publish 2013 Energy Standard: Changes for Envelope, Lighting, Mechanical Sections
Source: Resnet.us
"While many things have changed since the first version of Standard 90 was published in 1975, the need to reduce building energy use and cost has not," Steve Skalko, chair of the committee that wrote the 2013 standard, said. "This standard represents many advances over the 2010 standard, as we worked toward our goal of making the standard 40 to 50 percent more stringent than the 2004 standard."
Builders and Efficiency Advocates Reach 2015 International Energy Conservation Code Change Agreement Source: Resnet.us
Together, the Leading Builders of America, Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have proposed a change to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) that would result in significant energy savings, while providing more flexibility to builders. Leading Builders of America represents 20 of the nation’s largest builders accounting for 40 percent of the new single‐family homes market, NRDC is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization representing 1.3 million members and online activists, and IMT is nonprofit advocacy organization focused on improving energy efficiency in buildings.
>>ICC Illustrated IBC Handbook Helps Professionals Better Understand Code Application, Compliance
Source: ICCsafe.org
The 2012 International Building Code (IBC) Handbook, a new publication from the International Code Council (ICC) and McGraw-Hill Professional, combines detailed discussion with more than 600 color illustrations to support the application of IBC provisions. Previously published in two volumes, the new edition covers both structural and fire- and life-safety provisions in a single reference to ease understanding and proper application of code requirements and achieve compliance.
>>Ventilation for New Low-Rise Residential Buildings: Building Science Corporation Standard 01 -- 2013
Source: www.buildingscience.com
This criterion defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical ventilation systems in new low-rise residential buildings.
>>BPI's Home Performance-Related Data Standards Published as BPI Standards
Source: BPI.org
The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) announced that its BPI-2100-S-2013: Standard for Home Performance-Related Data Transfer and BPI-2200-S-2013: Standard for Home Performance-Related Data Collection have been published as BPI standards. "These standards should make the entire home performance industry more effective and profitable by dramatically reducing the costs, time and effort involved in transferring information," said Robin LeBaron, Managing Director of the National Home Performance Council, who coordinated the BPI working group that developed these standards.
>>The Building Codes Assistance Project Updates on Building Energy Codes
Source: energycodesocean.org
BCAP Newsletters are quarterly summaries of what's been happening at the Building Codes Assistance Project and building energy code progress around the nation. To access the full archive, click here. Here are some of the recent alerts from the BCAP Code Alerts released released weekly by the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) and its website, the Online Code Environment & Advocacy Network (OCEAN). Code Alert Bulletins are designed to share information and support timely participation in state and local activities related to the adoption and implementation of building energy codes. The bulletins highlight immediate opportunities to influence state and local policy outcomes, indicate code status, and recommend contacts for action. If you know of activity that should be on this bulletin or would like to sign up for this bulletin, contact Matt Kerns at (202) 530-2252 or mkerns@ase.org.
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Alliance to Save Energy Efficiency News
Source: ase.org/efficiency-news
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