PHILADELPHIA - (Business Wire) Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70 percent of the energy used in the average American home. What a tragedy if that energy were literally going out the window. According to the United States Department of Energy, homeowners can reduce home heating and cooling costs by as much as 30 percent with proper insulation. With home heating oil priced at over $3 a gallon and electricity prices skyrocketing, it is good to know that advances in home insulation products are providing environmentally advanced options that are saving homeowners a lot of
“green.
” Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) are modern, lightweight, synthetic wall claddings that marry foam plastic insulation with synthetic coatings. The effect is like that of a blanket wrapped around a home to keep out the chill of winter and keep in the heat and visa versa, keeping out the heat of summer and keeping in the AC. By insulating outside the structure, EIFS reduce air infiltration, stabilize the interior environment and reduce energy consumption.
EIFS, in contrast to traditional insulation, can reduce air infiltration by as much as 55 percent. Traditional insulation at any thickness leaves gaps where the heat and cold pass freely between indoors and out. Those gaps occur at studs, wall outlets, wall joints and elsewhere. EIFS also increase the R-value of the home or building. R-value is the measurement of the resistance to heat flow, and the higher the R-value, the better the material’s insulating value. Most EIFS use insulation board with an R-value of 4 to 5.6 per inch. When combined with standard wall cavity insulation, the extra layer can boost wall insulation to an R-value of 20 or more.
Specialty materials company Rohm and Haas (NYSE:ROH) offers a full range of products for EIFS including base coats and top coats. The coatings provide significant advantages in durability and color retention, long-lasting esthetics and an excellent barrier against water infiltration. The products offer formulators a wide variety of decorative effects like columns and arches as well as the ability to create unique appearances and texture to customers’ homes and other buildings.
With products like these, Rohm and Haas is making the impossible possible.
About Rohm and Haas Company
Leading the way since 1909, Rohm and Haas is a global pioneer in the creation and development of innovative technologies and solutions for the specialty materials industry. The company’s technologies are found in a wide range of industries including: Building and Construction, Electronics and Electronic Devices, Household Goods and Personal Care, Packaging and Paper, Transportation, Pharmaceutical and Medical, Water, Food and Food Related, and Industrial Process. Innovative Rohm and Haas technologies and solutions help to improve life every day, around the world. Based in Philadelphia, PA, the company generated annual sales of approximately $8.9 billion in 2007. Visit www.rohmhaas.com for more information. imagine the possibilities™
Rohm and Haas Company
Laura Hadden
Director of Communications, Specialty Materials
+1 215-592-3054
lhadden@rohmhaas.com
