Fiscal Cliff Legislation Renews Energy-Efficient Tax Credits for Builders

Regardless of your political affiliations, there is good news for energy-efficient homebuilders in the recent fiscal cliff legislation. The final legislation included a renewal of the 25L Tax Credit for builders of new energy-efficient homes.

The tax credit is for homebuilders who build and sell energy-efficient homes and it is retroactive to homes sold from January 1, 2012.  In order to qualify, the builder must provide a level of heating and cooling energy consumption that is at least 50 percent below that of a comparable dwelling unit constructed in accordance with the 2006 IECC.

IRS Form 8908 is the form to claim the $2,000 tax credit for homebuilders. See http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8908.pdf and associated instructions, as published in 2011. For building envelope residential requirements per 2006 IECC see www.energycodes.gov/sites/default/files/becu/2006_iecc.pdf.

Rhino Linings Corporation Acquires BioBased Insulation®

BioBased Insulation® enables Rhino Linings Corporation to expand spray foam product offerings.

San Diego, CA (December 11, 2012) – Rhino Linings Corporation (“Rhino Linings”), a global provider of protective polyurethane, polyurea, polyaspartic and epoxy coatings is excited to announce the acquisition of BioBased Insulation®, a division of BioBased Technologies® LLC. At the same time, BioBased Technologies® LLC, a leader in the sales and marketing of Agrol®, a bio-based family of polyols used in manufacturing, is acquiring the Soyol® polyol and related technology assets from Rhino Linings.

The strategic alliance of both companies will allow BioBased Technologies® LLC to focus on the development and continual improvement of renewable and sustainable solutions for the chemical industry with a large portfolio of bio-based polyols, and Rhino Linings to focus on spray foam systems for residential and commercial insulation. BioBased Insulation® is Rhino Linings’ second acquisition in the soy system business this year. Earlier this year, Rhino Linings acquired Soyol® polyol technology from Urethane Soy Systems Company.

“This acquisition strengthens our commitment to be one of the leading spray system providers by expanding our current product line and offering the best products available,” says Pierre Gagnon, President and CEO of Rhino Linings Corporation. “The spray foam insulation market is experiencing rapid global growth. We are now positioned to have a stronger footprint in this business.”

“We’re excited about the opportunity for growth that this exchange gives our company. The acquisition of the Soyol® group of technology will strengthen our ability to meet our customers’ needs to provide greener solutions to the market place,” adds Amy Sorrell, CEO of BioBased Technologies.

BioBased Insulation® spray polyurethane products help to lessen the environmental impact of residential and commercial structures. The biggest benefit to the environment comes from the performance of the products which increase the energy efficiency of buildings and reduces their carbon footprint.

Rhino will relocate BioBased Insulation® operations to the Rhino facilities in Carrollton, TX. Terms of the acquisition were not released.

About Rhino Linings Corporation
Rhino Linings Corporation, established in 1988 and headquartered in San Diego, California, is a privately-held corporation and world leader in sprayed and/or rolled urethane, polyaspartic and epoxy coatings and linings for industrial, municipal and residential applications. Business units include Vehicle Protection, Industrial, Epoxy, Flooring and Military. Rhino Linings Corporation has a global retail and industrial applicator network consisting of more than 2000 independently owned businesses and contractors in almost 80 countries and is the first ever spray-on bed liner company to achieve the ISO 9001 certification. For more information about Rhino Linings Corporation, visit http://www.rhinolinings.com.

Green Builder® Media Announces the VISION House® in INNOVENTIONS® is a Net Zero Energy House

Addition of Spray Foam Insulation Completes the Home’s Energy Envelope, so HERS Rating Could be Conducted.

Seattle, Wash., November 27— Green Builder Media’s VISION House exhibit at INNOVENTIONS in Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort is a case study in green building and living. Now it has been rated by a third-party RESNET Home Energy Rater, EnergyLogic, to back up its high-performance claims, and it actually produces more energy than it uses.

With the addition of BioBased Insulation^® Open Cell spray polyurethane foam insulation from BioBased Technologies^®, the home’s energy envelope, which includes its doors and windows, is complete. The energy envelope along with the home’s HVAC system and solar array make up all of the pieces that are needed to evaluate how efficient the home would be to operate if it were constructed today.

While the VISION House is an exhibit, not a real home, both Disney and Green Builder Media have worked to make it a practical and interesting teaching tool that demonstrates some of the resource efficient systems that families could choose for their home.

“The VISION House’s net zero energy status comes as no surprise to us,” says Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman. “We hand selected the very best partners and products when putting together a model green house to show visitors that having a green home is accessible. Many of the products that help the house achieve its net zero energy score are well within reach from a price standpoint. Used together, as a system, they create a super-tight, energy-efficient house that ensures homeowners will not be saddled with budget-busting utility bills each month.”

A HERS rating—fast becoming as ubiquitous as the MPG sticker on a car—analyzes how energy efficient a home is in comparison to other similar homes. It provides a measure of the energy use of the home based on its specific physical characteristics and systems. The lower the score, the less energy the home uses.

“Today, we have had 7 of the 10 largest home builders in the United States—including Pulte, KB Home, and Meritage—make the commitment to provide a HERS rating on their homes,” says Steve Baden, executive director of RESNET, which administers the HERS rating. “In 2011, he reports, 40% of all houses built in the United States had a HERS rating.”

In addition to providing HERS ratings for physical houses, an energy rater can model a house plan to let the builder and prospective home owner know how that house will perform when built. Modeling also allows you to compare a specific home, like the VISION House, to more traditionally built structures and get some idea of the amount of savings that specific systems or products contribute to the overall efficiency of the home.

A main contributor to the VISION House being net zero is the use of renewables, like the 9 kW Hanwha Solar PV array on this house. But a key component that the house lacked until now was a tight building envelope.

“The biggest impact in energy efficiency realized by the use of BioBased Insulation® Open Cell is that it provides an air seal for the home’s thermal envelope,” says Jennifer Wilson, brand manager of BioBased Technologies®. “This gives the home’s HVAC system and ventilation system complete control over the indoor environment and allows the systems to work more efficiently.”

“When it comes to energy efficiency, there’s no silver bullet. Homeowners have to look at how all of a home’s systems will work together,” Wilson says. “The VISION House serves as a living classroom to educate families about these options so they can make wise choices.”

Along with BioBased Technologies^®, one of the latest companies to join as a sponsor of the VISION House, these companies’ products also contributed to the HERS rating of the exhibit:

High-efficiency heating and cooling system by Trane

Ventilation systems by Panasonic

Solar PV modules from Hanwha Solar

Energy-efficient doors and windows from Pella

Energy Star-qualified appliances by Bosch

LED lighting solutions by Sylvania

 

About Innoventions:

INNOVENTIONS is located in the heart of Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.  Creativity and imagination abound as guests celebrate inspiration and the innovations that improve their lives and expand their horizons. Hands-on, interactive exhibits allow children and adults to be immersed into ideas that inform, entertain and inspire – conquer the most dangerous house in America, protect the environment from the daily waste we create, design your own thrill ride and push the limits of everyday products as we make the world a safer place. For more information on INNOVENTIONS visit www.innoventions.disney.com.

About Epcot®:

Epcot® is one of four fascinating theme parks located in the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Epcot® allows guests to travel to eleven countries on four continents, explore land and sea adventures, experience future technologies and journey into their imagination – all in one vacation.  With its many must-see dazzling shows, interactive experiences and amazing attractions, Epcot® is truly a celebration of human achievement and discovery.

About Green Builder Media:

Green Builder® Media is the leading media company in the North America focused on sustainable living and responsible growth.  With a comprehensive suite of print media, online options, demonstration homes, case studies, training and education vehicles, and live events, Green Builder Media assists building professionals and homeowners thrive in the emerging green economy.  For more information, visit www.greenbuildermag.com.

Contact: Cati O’Keefe

513-532-0185

cati@greenbuildermag.com

Meet Up with Us at Greenbuild

If you are travelling to San Francisco for Greenbuild International next week (Nov 13-16), make time to swing by the BioBased Technologies booth (#4276N) in the north hall. We’d love to meet you face to face.

Greenbuild’s doing some new things this year that we are excited about. You can actually earn continuing education credits by walking the floor and discussing green building topics – specifically Life Cycle Thinking and Environmental Claims – with the exhibitors and other participants. The idea behind the program is to encourage discussion of relevant green building topics. We think it’s a good idea. What if everyone discussed the same topic for a day?

Well, we will see how it goes at Greenbuild, but it looks promising. Open discussion of issues is rarely a bad thing.

If you can’t make Greenbuild this year, be sure to watch our Facebook page. We will be posting some photos from the show floor. It’s always a great show to get new ideas and see some awesome products.

Net Zero in the ‘burbs

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has taken on a project of major significance–demonstrating that at typical American home in the suburbs can be built to net-zero standards. In other words, it will look and perform just like a “normal” house, but will produce as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year.

The home won’t house a real family. Instead, the NIST researchers plan to simulate the energy and water consumption of a family of four. Throughout the first year, they’ll be testing various products and technologies in the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF), as it’s called. Essentially it’s a real-world laboratory built at NISTs headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md.

The ultimate goal? “To demonstrate that a net-zero energy house doesn’t require homeowners to radically change their concept of the American dream. They can ease into the future. Learn more about this project at: http://www.nist.gov/el/nzertf/.

Its always good to see that the building industry is working toward net zero homes. But it will be at least a year before a full year of data is available from this study. In the mean time, you can always look at the study that Oak Ridge National Labs did to document the savings from retrofitting existing homes.

The study compares a builder’s base house to one that has minor retrofit upgrades (including BioBased Insulation) and one that has more extensive retrofits, including solar, to make it net zero.

We produced a summary of the study, and it’s available here.

If you want more details, the full study is available on the ORNL site.

Eco Modern Lofts Revisited

In 2011, BioBased Insulation was used in Eco Modern Lofts, the first LEED-Platinum certified multi-family development in Arkansas. The installation was handled by one of our approved contractors in the area, T and T Green.

We were checking Facebook today and noticed that the Fay Jones School of Architecture shared an album of photos taken by local filmmaker Mark Wilcken of the Eco Modern project.

We are happy to be part of this project – and we shared Mark’s album on our facebook page. Well worth the time to check it out or to get a complete overview of the sustainable attributes of the project and another set of cool pics, you can visit www.ecomodernflats.com.

2001 NB First Insulation to Be GREENGUARD Select Certified

2001 NB from BioBased Insulation® is the first insulation to be certified under the GREENGUARD Select Certification ProgramSM, the organization’s most stringent program for low-emitting products.

The GREENGUARD Select emissions criteria are similar to the GREENGUARD for Children & Schools criteria but include additional modeling scenarios that evaluate the emissions based on each indoor environment type where the product may be used. Products are tested in four specific environments – commercial, residential, educational and healthcare. 2001 NB earned the GREENGUARD Select certification in each of the environments.

2001 NB, a closed cell spray polyurethane foam insulation, uses Enovate® as the blowing agent during application. Enovate has a zero Ozone Depletion Potential and a low Global Warming Potential. 2001 NB is Class I fire rated and is a Class II vapor retarder when installed at 1.5 inches. 2001 NB also has been GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® and GREENGUARD for Children & Schools CertifiedSM.

GREENGUARD Select was launched earlier in 2012. The comprehensive evaluation guidelines include criteria from the California Air Resources Board and California Department of Public Health’s 2012 CA 01350 requirements as well as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Information Act. To date 160 products have earned GREENGUARD Select Certification. GREENGUARD Certification is a voluntary program available to all manufacturers and their suppliers.

2001 NB as well as BioBased 501w® – a high-yield, ICC-Rated open cell spray foam insulation from BioBased Insulation® – are only available through a global network of approved contractors. For more information about 2001 NB or to find an approved contractor in your area, visit http://www.biobased.net.

Visit Greenguard.org to view our listing there.

HERS Scores Incorporated Into Many Regional Building Codes

A lot of people are looking to level the field when it comes to evaluating the energy efficiency of a home. Doing so would allow builders/realtors/homeowners to easily communicate energy efficiency in a way that would make since to everyone.

The RESNET Home Energy Rating System (HERS) has been far and away the top choice for some time. The scale runs from 0 to 150. A net zero home is a 0 on the scale because it uses no energy or actually produces less energy than it uses, putting energy back into the grid.

For the most part, existing homes rank on the higher end of the scale. New homes built to code would typically rank around 100 on the scale.

HERS has taken some significant strides towards being that industry standard. A recent RESNET article touted the municipal and state jurisdictions that have adopted a HERS Index Score as part of their building codes – more than 120 in all.

Did your city or state adopt it? You can see the full list here: http://resnet.us/professional/main/Hers_index_and_energy_codes

New Spray Foam E-Newsletter

Do you want to keep up with what’s going on in the spray foam industry? There are several great publications available that we read. A relatively new one is SprayFoam Pro newsletter from the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance.

It includes stories about interesting projects as well as company announcements, industry events and federal/state/government news. It’s delivered twice a month to your inbox. You can sign up for the email newsletter here: http://www.naylornetwork.com/spf-nwl/.

2001NB Now GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality® and GREENGUARD Children & Schools(SM) Certified

2001NB from BioBased Insulation® has earned both the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality and GREENGUARD for Children & Schools(SM) certifications.

The closed cell spray polyurethane foam insulation meets the stringent indoor air quality guidelines for low emitting products and materials established by the industry-independent, third-party testing program.

2001NB uses Enovate® as the blowing agent during application. Enovate has a zero Ozone Depletion Potential and a low Global Warming Potential. 2001NB is Class I fire rated when installed at 4 inches and is a Class II vapor retarder when installed at 1.5 inches.

The GREENGUARD Certification Process tests products for emissions of formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes, respirable particles, ozone, and other pollutants using stringent environmental chamber protocols designed to simulate product use in typical indoor environments.

The testing protocols follow scientific principles established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its Environmental Technology Verification Program, the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM), the State of Washington, Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, and other applicable government or industry programs.

The first GREENGUARD Certification was awarded in the fall 2002. In 2005, the GREENGUARD Children & Schools standard was added, which evaluates the sensitive nature of school populations combined with the unique building characteristics found in schools, and presents the most rigorous product emissions criteria to date.

GREENGUARD Certification is a voluntary program available to all manufacturers and their suppliers. View the GREENGUARD listing here.

2001NB as well as BioBased 501w® – an ICC-Rated open cell spray foam insulation from BioBased Insulation® – are only available through a global network of approved contractors. For more information about 2001NB or to find an approved contractor in your area, visit www.biobased.net.