SPF Industry News

               
          Huntsman Publishes White Paper Addressing Military Standards, SPF

                     Paper Cites Spray Foam’s Role in Reducing Military Energy Consumption

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) announced its publication of a white paper titled, “Military Standards and Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation.”

The federal government is the single largest user of energy in the United States, and within the government, the Department of Defense (DoD) uses the most energy.  Directives from Congress and the President to reduce the federal government’s energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015 have prompted a new approach to building design and material use on military installations both at home and abroad.

To meet these aggressive reductions, the military has targeted uncontrolled air leakage, which, according to the Department of Energy, accounts for approximately 40 percent of heating and cooling energy usage.

Revised U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) air tightness standards have been implemented to improve building energy efficiencies. Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation helps meet the USACE standards, helping mitigate the problem of air infiltration by acting as an effective thermal insulation material and air barrier. In fact, buildings insulated with SPF will typically use 30 to 50 percent less energy to heat and cool, compared to buildings insulated with traditional fibrous insulation materials.

This white paper addresses three components of improving air quality and energy efficiency via an improved building envelope:
•    Reduce uncontrolled air movement
•    Improve moisture management
•    Improve insulation

“Spray polyurethane foam has been used in military installations domestically and in the Middle East to help meet the demands for reduced energy consumption,” said Monica Karamagi, regional marketing and industry affairs manager, Huntsman Polyurethanes.

SPF is being used on temporary structures forward operating bases in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan to save fuel and energy. In many cases, insulation is about more than keeping soldiers comfortable. With SPF applied to the structures, less energy is required to cool them, thus reducing fuel demand, fuel convoys, and other associated costs.

“It is a particularly valuable tool for reducing energy consumption because of its quick and ongoing payback. According to a U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity study, SPF provided a 50 percent fuel savings and achieved a full return on investment (ROI) in just 75 days at Camp Victory in Baghdad,” Karamagi added.

Huntsman made the white paper available at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA Annual Army Installation Symposium April 19-21, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas.
                                                                              
To receive a copy of the white paper or to learn more about how SPF is being used at military installations, including Ft. Carson, Ft. Drum, Ft. Riley, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base and many more, please email sprayfoam@huntsman.com, call 281-719-4602 or visit http://www.huntsman.com/sprayfoam.