Spray Foam Insulation Can Help Buildings Reach LEED Certification

BRIELLE, NEW JERSEY - January 8, 2011 -- For many new buildings, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification is one of the most coveted markers of distinction. Better known by its acronym, LEED, the system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a 501(c) non-profit organization.

To be certified, a building must achieve at least 40 points on a 100-point system that grades the buildings in a variety of key areas including design, construction and operational efficiency. Silver, Gold and Platinum LEED ratings for commercial structures come at 50, 60 and 80 points, respectively.

As one of the most effective insulation systems, with a R-value and a simple application process, spray foam insulation is an ideal way to help move a structure towards LEED-certified status. Once certified, buildings with these distinctions typically maintain higher rents and occupancy rates thanks to their lower operational costs and general appeal from a PR and marketing perspective. Every business and developer loves to brag about the ecologically sensitive properties of its buildings in these green-obsessed times.

LEED standards also apply to homes, though with a different grading scale that sets the highest vale for Platinum certification at 94 points. Spray foam can play an important role there, too: Huntsman Corporation of Woodlands, Texas and CertainTeed Corporation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania recently announced that their CertaSpray Open Cell and Closed Cell Foam Insulation played a key role in the construction of a custom-built, LEED Platinum-certified home built in Houston Texas by GradCo Structures & Homes.

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