by Shane Henson — October 10, 2011—Kingspan Insulated Panels North America, a global manufacturer of insulated metal panels, used its booth to spotlight its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) as a centerpiece to the company’s main sustainability initiative at GreenBuild2011. Kingspan insulated panels are manufactured as a single component system with high R-value, unsurpassed airtightness and superior moisture control suitable for new and retrofit buildings. According to the company, its insulated metal panels are a significant first step to achieving net-zero energy building and consistently contribute to U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits and overall certification.
Through Kingspan’s commitment to become more sustainable, an EPD was recently awarded to the company’s wall and roof systems. Kingspan’s EPD is a first-of-its-kind achieved by a North American-based manufacturer of insulated metal panels. EPD is a standardized, internationally recognized tool for providing information on a product’s environmental impact. Information in the declaration is based on an ISO-compliant life cycle assessment (LCA) and verified by a third party—in the case of Kingspan, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Kingspan’s updated Path to NetZero microsite and the next generation of the mobile app was also highlighted in their booth at the conference. This unique tool for the building industry simulates the process of achieving high-performance and net-zero buildings. The revised app includes the addition of two Canadian cities—Calgary and Toronto—giving users a choice of six cities. In addition to a city, users select a building type (school, office, or warehouse) and a baseline building designed to ASHRAE 90.1.2004. They then choose a Kingspan insulated roof and wall system and compare savings. Benchmarks for the tool are aligned with the Department of Energy Commercial Building Initiative and U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009/3.0 requirements.
