Johns Manville Insulation Fits The Green Profile
Johns Manville (JM), manufacturer of building insulation, is an SCS recipient of the cross and globe emblem certification. The emblem certifies that JM fiber glass insulation is made from a minimum of 20 percent recycled glass content. It is the first brand to bear this emblem.

“Gold is Green”
By using JM gold fiber glass insulation, consumers support important glass bottle recycling efforts, while also conserving valuable energy resources.

Each year JM recycles more than 100 million non-refillable, post consumer glass bottles into high-quality, energy-saving JM insulation. Golden-colored JM insulation is the leading nationwide insulation brand using post-consumer clear and colored glass. A typical truckload of insulation contains roughly one-and-a-half tons of recycled glass, saving thousands of cubic feet of conserved landfill space every year.

Market Size and Purchasing Decisions
Americans annually spend more than $100 billion fixing up their homes. Considering the significant investment required, consumers seek building materials that are economical, high-quality and environmentally beneficial as well as those that offer a selection of design and size choices.

Recent environmental studies reveal that quality, value-priced products and environmental attributes are the driving force in purchasing decisions today.
According to a Gerstman & Meyers study conducted in 1991, 83 percent of consumers polled preferred to buy environmentally safe products.
About two out of three consumers would switch brands if a brand were better for the environment (Resource Integrated Systems, 1992.)
Sixty-three percent of consumers are more likely to purchase a product because of its green claims than three years ago (Yankelovich Clancy Shulman, 1992.)
Sixty-one percent of Americans went out of their way in 1991 to buy products labeled as environmentally sound (Angus Reid, 1992.)
Johns Manville Gold Saves Green $$$
Properly installed at recommended R-values, fiber glass insulation can reduce energy costs from 5-30 percent, saving the U.S. the equivalent of four billion barrels of oil a year, much of which is imported. Savings for the consumer can add up to thousands of dollars over the average life of a home, not to mention increasing a home’s resale value.

Johns Manville a leading manufacturer of premium-quality building products, today announced that products from its complete line of Formaldehyde-free(TM) fiber glass building insulation have qualified for SCS Indoor Advantage(TM) Gold + Formaldehyde Free certification from Scientific Certification Systems, the global leader in independent certification of environmental and sustainability claims.

SCS Indoor Advantage(TM) Gold certification requires that products meet the toughest limits in North America for indoor air emissions, guaranteeing that certified products contribute to safer and healthier indoor environments in commercial buildings such as offices, hospitals and schools. SCS’s Indoor Advantage(TM) Gold ensures full compliance with California Section 01350 requirements and sets a higher standard for indoor air quality, stricter than any other on the market.

Importantly, SCS Formaldehyde Free certification is applicable to JM Formaldehyde-free(TM)fiber glass building insulation products for both commercial and residential applications, enabling homeowners, retailers, contractors, architects and specifiers to be confident in selecting certified products from JM’s complete line of Formaldehyde-free(TM)fiber glass building insulation. It is the only independent third-party certification for claims related to formaldehyde-free building materials. SCS developed the formaldehyde-free certification based on both health criteria and the definition of formaldehyde-free that was issued in 2005 when a formal challenge was filed against JM’s ability to call its products formaldehyde-free. Unlike other product emissions certification programs, the SCS program criteria are entirely transparent and open to all manufacturers whose products meet the criteria.

“We’re delighted we’ve earned the SCS Indoor Advantage(TM) Gold + Formaldehyde Free certification,” said Mike Lawrence, vice president and general manager for JM’s Insulation Systems business. “JM was the first manufacturer to offer a full line of Formaldehyde-free(TM)fiber glass insulation beginning in 2002. By helping people follow EPA’s recommendation to minimize exposure to formaldehyde, we have been making homes, schools, hospitals and other buildings safer and healthier for the past eight years.”

“Indoor air quality is extremely important because most people spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, either at home, work or school,” said Stowe Hartridge-Beam, indoor air quality program manager at SCS. “We’re pleased to see Johns Manville’s continued commitment to healthier indoor environments.”

For over 15 years, SCS has certified the recycled content of major manufacturers in the fiber glass insulation industry, including JM since 1994. JM incorporates an average of 20 percent post-consumer recycled content across North America in insulation manufacturing. No other major fiber glass insulation manufacturer uses more certified post-consumer recycled content than JM.

“Johns Manville has been a leader in building products and materials for more than 150 years,” Lawrence said. “Customers can continue to count on JM for new product innovations such as the JM Spider(R) Custom Insulation System; JM Corbond III(TM), a premium high-yield closed-cell spray foam insulation product; and JM ComfortTherm(R) batts and rolls, wrapped in plastic for more comfortable installation with less itch and dust.”

JM’s SCS Indoor Advantage(TM) Gold + Formaldehyde-Free certification applies to the following JM Formaldehyde-free(TM) fiber glass building insulation products: Unfaced Fiber Glass Insulation Batts and Rolls, EasyFit(R) Perforated Unfaced Fiber Glass Batts, Kraft-Faced Fiber Glass Insulation Batts and Rolls, EasyFit(R) Perforated Kraft-Faced Fiber Glass Batts, ComfortTherm(R) Plastic-wrapped Fiber Glass Insulation Batts and Rolls, MR(R) Faced Mold and Mildew Resistant Fiber Glass Insulation Batts, FSK-25 Faced Fiber Glass Insulation Batts, Panel Deck FSK-25, PSK Fiber Glass Insulation Batts, JM Spider(R) Fiber Glass Insulation, Climate Pro(R) Loose Fill Fiber Glass Insulation and Attic Protector(R) Loose Fill Fiber Glass Insulation,. JM is also planning to obtain SCS Indoor Advantage(TM) Gold + Formaldehyde Free certification for the following air handling products: Flex-Glas(R) PC Flexible Duct Insulation and Microlite(R) XG(TM) Fiber Glass Duct Wrap Insulation.

More Americans are reducing their budgets for home remodeling projects. When it comes to saving money, home improvement projects that increase energy efficiency are the best investments to deliver paybacks.

Heating and cooling can account for almost half of a home’s energy bill, so this is the most critical area that homeowners can target to reduce costs, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. With October as national Energy Awareness Month, it’s also the perfect time for homeowners to install cost effective building insulation.

“Energy efficiency upgrades provide homeowners with the rare opportunity to see a return on their investment almost immediately and at resale,” said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a non-profit dedicated to promoting energy efficiency. “We can’t predict how the market will impact the value of our homes, but we can all make improvements that will increase energy efficiency to have a lasting impact on our heating and cooling bills and our home’s value.”

“The reality of the new economy is that homeowners want to save money while maintaining the value and comfort of their homes,” said Mike Lawrence, vice president and general manager of Insulation Systems for Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company and leading manufacturer of premium-quality building products. “There are economical and smart steps homeowners can take that will positively impact their monthly energy bills today and their home’s value tomorrow.”

Johns Manville offers four ways homeowners can make changes that are low in cost and high in value and ROI, either as do-it-yourself projects or by hiring a professional contractor:

• Take an energy audit of your home. To get started, homeowners can estimate the energy efficiency of their home online by using the Home Energy Analysis test available at JMHomeowner.com. By answering a series of simple questions, the calculator estimates a home’s energy performance and provides the homeowner with a report that includes a series of recommendations to increase energy efficiency. Based on the energy performance, the calculator also estimates an approximate percentage of savings that could be realized by making the recommended efficiency upgrades.
• Add insulation to your home’s attic. Adding insulation is the easiest and most cost-effective ways for homeowners to improve their home’s energy efficiency. JM insulation can decrease energy bills for an immediate return on investment, as well as maintain consistent temperatures inside the house for a comfortable environment. By selecting fiber glass insulation that is made without formaldehyde, homeowners can also help improve indoor air quality.When adding insulation, it’s also a good time to consider air sealing the attic to help eliminate any holes or gaps that may exist in the attic floor and/or walls. By using caulk, spray foam or weather stripping to close such gaps, homeowners can maintain comfort and decrease wasted energy by sealing common sources of attic leaks, such as wiring holes, attic hatches or recessed lights.

• Install a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat lets homeowners regulate the temperature of their home to deliver savings without sacrificing comfort. Homeowners can pre-set temperatures to reduce heating or cooling in their home when they’re asleep or away. The Environmental Protection Agency reports homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.
• Weatherize your home’s windows and doors. Homeowners can easily evaluate air leakages in their homes by inspecting common sources of air leaks, including wiring and gas line entrance holes, windows and doors. By caulking and sealing areas where warm air can escape and the winter chill can come in, wasted energy is decreased and indoor comfort is increased.

How to Get a Triple Return on Your Remodeling Investment

Compared to other home improvement projects, energy efficiency upgrades come with a considerably smaller price tag, compared to aesthetic-focused renovations like kitchen and bathroom remodels. In addition, there’s a triple return on these remodeling investments over the course of home ownership:

• Save on your energy bill today: Homeowners can expect to see immediate savings when their next energy bill arrives in their mailbox. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with a properly air sealed and insulated home, homeowners can reduce their heating and cooling costs by as much as 30 percent.
• Save for the long term: Investments made in home energy efficiency pay dividends for the lifetime of a home and improve the home’s resale value. According to the Appraisal Institute, for every dollar saved in annual utility costs, homeowners can expect to add $20 to their home’s market value.

According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Energy, the cost of heating and cooling a home could increase by up to 50 percent in some areas of the country this year. These costs represent 50 percent to 70 percent of utility bills of an owner. The Department said that only 20 percent of homes built before 1980 are properly insulated.

Johns Manville contractors and dealers a new evaluation of insulation in homes and recommend ways homeowners can reduce rising costs of heating and cooling by adding insulation in certain areas of the house. During the evaluation, to inspect the attics and roofs, exterior walls, floors and crawl spaces, pipes, ducts and water heaters. Also consider how small changes such as caulking around windows, drafty doors and can block heat loss in winter and cool in the summer air.

“Our goal with this initiative is to raise awareness of energy awareness and provide our contractors with the best tools possible to help spread the message,” said Scott DeShetler, director of marketing at Johns Manville. “Isolation is the first defense of an owner to keep a home warm in winter and cool in the summer short-term investment of adding insulation will now lead to a great long-term benefit: .. Reduce utility bills public ”

Contractors and grantees will receive a marketing authorization “toolbox” that include collateral material, news and generic versions that can print on your own letterhead, Q & A Fast Facts sheets for use with the media and customers and public relations assistance of local radio on radio hands.

About Johns Manville
Johns Manville (NYSE: JM) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of products for the construction of high quality. The 143-year company based in Denver had sales of $ 2.2 billion in 1999. Johns Manville produces and markets insulation products for buildings and equipment, commercial and industrial roofing systems and engineered products, including means of high-efficiency filtration, fibers, fabrics and woven mats used as reinforcements in building and industrial applications. The company employs approximately 9,700 people and operates 55 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Www.jm.com Click for additional information.

Nearly 92 Percent of Homeowners Are Interested in Home Energy Efficiency, but Many Remain Unaware of Largest Sources of Energy Consumption and How Their Home Contributes to Climate Change

October is Energy Awareness Month, and today, Johns Manville (JM), a global building products manufacturer, released the results of its annual Energy Awareness Month Survey. The new survey shows that while an overwhelming majority of Americans are interested in increasing their homes’ energy efficiency (91.8 percent) and expect their home heating bills to increase this winter (76.5 percent), many lack understanding of how their homes consume energy, and most aren’t entirely clear on which home improvement projects yield the largest energy-saving benefits.

“For the average homeowner, the best step they can take to improve their home’s energy efficiency is to add insulation to their attic”

More than two-thirds of respondents (70.7 percent) said they’re more interested in home energy efficiency compared to a year ago, and 63.6 percent said reducing their home heating and cooling costs is the best reason for making home energy efficiency upgrades. As a result, homeowners are starting to take action. More than half (54.3 percent) have taken steps in the last year to improve the energy efficiency of their home.

However, when asked how much they expect to save from projects such as adding insulation, caulking and air sealing their homes, nearly three-fourths underestimated their potential utility bill savings at 10 percent or less. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) lists the heating and cooling system as the largest user of energy in the average home, accounting for 43 percent of consumption, and estimates the average homeowner can save up to 30 percent on heating and cooling bills through proper insulation and air sealing techniques.

“For the average homeowner, the best step they can take to improve their home’s energy efficiency is to add insulation to their attic,” said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit group that promotes energy efficiency.

“A simple way for a homeowner to check if their home is properly insulated is to use a ruler to measure the depth of their attic insulation,” said Kevin Kinzler, president of Kinzler Construction Services in Ames, Iowa. “Many climates may need up to 19 inches of attic insulation to ensure maximum energy efficiency.”

Other key findings included:

• 18.8 percent of respondents said reducing their home’s contribution to global climate change is the best reason to increase home energy efficiency; even fewer (10.6 percent) cited comfort as the top factor
• The most popular upgrade homeowners have made was installing energy-efficient light bulbs, at 75.7 percent, followed by caulking and sealing at 42.2 percent and energy-efficient appliances upgrades, at 38.5 percent
• When asked about U.S. energy consumption, 25.7 percent of respondents said road transportation ranks as the largest U.S. consumer of energy; only 18.4 percent responded correctly that residential buildings are the single largest U.S. energy consumer

“When you consider rising energy prices and the amount of energy homes use for heating, cooling, lighting, appliances and entertainment, it’s easy to see why so many homeowners are growing more concerned with energy efficiency,” said Callahan. “Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest and cleanest way to extend our world’s energy supplies, so it’s reassuring to see more homeowners taking action to improve home energy efficiency, whether they care about climate change or a lower winter heating bill.”

The Energy Awareness Month Survey was an online survey of 1,002 U.S. homeowners and was conducted on behalf of Johns Manville, the global building products manufacturer, by Forrest W. Anderson Research, an independent public opinion research company. The survey had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points and was conducted July 21-23, 2008.

“Residential energy efficiency is a topic that’s relevant to all of us,” said Mike Lawrence, vice president and general manager of JM’s Insulation Systems business. “Johns Manville conducts the Energy Awareness Month Survey each year to understand Americans’ awareness and behavior as it relates to energy use. By highlighting these topics, we hope to do our part to increase our country’s energy IQ.”

Energy Costs Hurting Homeowners’ Budgets

The Energy Awareness Month Survey found most homeowners are concerned about saving money, with 63.6 percent of respondents citing reducing heating and cooling bills as the top concern when considering an energy efficiency upgrade. Respondents were less concerned with reducing their homes’ contribution to climate change (18.8 percent) or making their family more comfortable (10.6 percent).

The findings suggest that amid a slowing U.S. economy, more Americans are considering energy-related home improvement, mostly to save money. Even after a sharp decline from its peak in mid-July, the price of natural gas is still above where it was last winter, and reports from the Energy Information Institute estimate the cost of home heating oil is 36 percent higher compared to last year. According to the DOE, households use about one-fifth of the total energy consumed in the United States each year, and the typical U.S. family spends about $1,500 a year on utility bills.

According to JM’s Energy Awareness Month Survey, relatively few homeowners, only 5.2 percent, considered increasing the resale value of their home as the best reason for making their home more energy efficient. In addition to the immediate return from reduced energy costs, efficiency upgrades, such as adding insulation, also increase a home’s resale value. Data from the Appraisal Institute shows that for every dollar saved in annual utility costs, homeowners can expect to add about $20 to the market value of their home. For example, a homeowner who saves $300 on annual heating and cooling costs by properly insulating the home could add $6,000 to its value.

Homeowners Taking Action but Don’t Fully Understand Consumption

More than half of survey respondents (54.3 percent) have recently attempted to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. The most popular upgrade was installing energy-efficient light bulbs at 75.7 percent, followed by caulking and sealing at 42.2 percent and energy-efficient appliance upgrades at 38.5 percent. Installing attic insulation (16 percent), installing a new furnace (14 percent) and installing solar panels (0.9 percent) ranked lowest in the survey.

These statistics suggest that many homeowners do not fully recognize the largest sources of energy consumption in their homes and don’t know what types of projects could save the most energy. The DOE states that 43 percent of the average home’s energy use is spent on heating and cooling, compared to 13 percent for appliances (refrigeration, clothes washer and dryers) and only 12 percent for lighting.

“It’s good to see that more than 42 percent of respondents recognize the importance of caulking and sealing, but such projects need to be done along with insulation upgrades to reap the biggest savings,” added Callahan.

Kinzler provided an additional tip for homeowners interested in insulation upgrades.

“As homeowners tighten up their homes and add insulation to improve energy efficiency, they should consider using products that are free of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds. This will avoid trapping formaldehyde in the air of more tightly sealed homes, which can lead to poor indoor air quality.”

Homeowner Knowledge of U.S. Energy Economy Lacking

In addition to individual home energy consumption, the Energy Awareness Month Report found that many Americans lack complete understanding of the U.S. energy economy. Only 18.4 percent of homeowners correctly indicated the residential sector is the single largest consumer of energy in the United States. The other 81.6 percent incorrectly thought the largest consuming sector was road transportation, manufacturing, commercial buildings, air transportation or something else.

To gauge understanding of U.S. energy consumption, survey respondents also were asked a series of questions about energy use of the top six energy-consuming sectors or industries: road transportation, air transportation, chemical/petrochemical industry, iron and steel industry, commercial buildings and residential buildings.

The largest number of respondents, 25.7 percent, said road transportation is the largest consumer of energy in the United States. The reality is the U.S. residential sector ranks as the single largest energy consumer in the world, and homes worldwide account for 25 percent of total energy use, according to a 2007 report from the McKinsey Global Institute titled “Curbing Global Energy Demand Growth: The Energy Productivity Opportunity.”

“Residential buildings contribute significantly to climate change,” added Callahan. “The average home emits twice as much carbon dioxide as the average car, in large part because energy used to power our homes is derived by burning fuels such as coal, heating oil and natural gas. The survey findings show that most Americans aren’t fully aware of the dynamics of America’s energy consumption.”

About the Survey

The 2008 Energy Awareness Month Survey was conducted by Forrest W. Anderson Research for global building products manufacturer Johns Manville. The survey was conducted online using Zoomerang between July 21-23, 2008. The results are based on a national representative sample of 1,002 homeowners age 18 years and older, living in the United States. The survey had a sampling error of 3.1 percentage points.

• According to a Gerstman & Meyers study conducted in 1991, 83 percent of consumers polled preferred to buy environmentally safe products.

• About two out of three consumers would switch brands if a brand were better for the environment (Resource Integrated Systems, 1992.)

• Sixty-three percent of consumers are more likely to purchase a product because of its green claims than three years ago (Yankelovich Clancy Shulman, 1992.)

• Sixty-one percent of Americans went out of their way in 1991 to buy products labeled as environmentally sound (Angus Reid, 1992.)

Thanks to a breakthrough in resin chemistry, JM has developed a line of formaldehyde-free products that provide significant advantages in indoor air quality as well as reduce air emissions during manufacturing.

“The new product line minimizes the potential for formaldehyde in the air which is of particular interest to architects and builders who specify for buildings such as hospitals, clean rooms and laboratories,” said JoEllen DePorter, market manager for JM’s encapsulated product segment. “While traditional batt insulation products contain a cured formaldehyde-based resin which creates minimal off-gassing, JM’s new Rx and Free products are designed to meet these concerns about indoor air quality by using a new resin that is free of formaldehyde.”

In addition to being formaldehyde-free, each product has an Underwriters’ Laboratories fire hazard classification of 25/50, is compression-packaged, which means savings in storage and freight costs, and is lightweight and easy to install. Descriptions of additional benefits from JM’s formaldehyde-free products follow:

Thermal-SHIELD Free, unfaced commercial building insulation, is flexible and designed for friction-fit installation between framing members in walls, ceilings and floors. For example, the new Nordstrom’s location in Garden City, N.Y. used Thermal-SHIELD Free in the outside walls of that building. Unfaced insulation batts, in addition to installation in metal and wood framing and on non-framed surfaces, can also be used as backfill above panels in suspended ceiling systems. Thermal-SHIELD Free is ideal where resistance to vibration and shakedown is important.

Thermal-SHIELD Free benefits include high thermal efficiency, strength of bonded glass fibers, durability of fibers that aren’t prone to mildew or deterioration, noncombustibility, resiliency and easy installation. JM’s Sound-SHIELD Free batts provide a more comfortable interior environment by reducing transmission of conversations and equipment noises through interior walls. Used in floor or floor/ceiling assemblies, sound control batts also may help reduce transmission of impact-generated sounds between adjacent areas. Fiber glass is particularly effective in sound absorption because of the many small air pockets between the glass fibers that trap and dissipate sound energy.

Sound-SHIELD Free is made to fit standard spacing and thickness of steel-stud construction in commercial and institutional buildings. Maximum sound control effectiveness is provided by completely filling the cavity wall. Sound-SHIELD Free can effectively increase Sound Transmission Class (STC) ratings by eight to 10 points in certain assemblies.

Grid-SHIELD Rx provides a new poly-encapsulated, thermal and acoustical insulation batt. These batts resist heat transfer, absorb sound and are designed for installation above the panels in suspended-ceiling systems to enhance their acoustical and thermal performance.

The Swiss Bank Center in Stamford, Conn. has JM’s encapsulated Grid-SHIELD Rx installed behind ceiling panels for maximum acoustical efficiency. Poly-wrapped fiber glass provides a barrier between the plenum airstream and insulation surface. This barrier significantly reduces fibers in the airstream and provides more efficient, installer-friendly installation.