Spray foam's environmental, financial benefits on display at Texas housing community

As oil prices rise and energy costs continue to climb in the U.S., there have been increasing calls for homebuilders and renovators to adhere to strict environmental codes. More and more, homebuilders are working to ensure newly constructed houses are as energy efficient as possible, reducing the need for costly heating and cooling costs.

In Texas, a sustainable community of 40 modern homes is being built using technologies that will enable the homes to be classified as net-zero energy users, meaning they produce as much energy as they consume. In total, home builders have built 24 homes - 22 of which are already occupied. "It's starting to really become a community," the sales manager at the community, Blaine Vortman, said.

Aside from solar panel systems and other renewable energy solutions used to generate clean electricity, the homes were also designed to prevent hot and cold air from leaking through insulation. The homebuilders chose spray foam insulation to ensure that windows, doors and the foundation of the homes were bereft of any cracks or leaks where air could escape.

The community's homes were built by the Austin Energy Green Building program. According to the program's executives, they are committed to environmental causes and each of the homes they construct is built using products that are not only effective, but also environmentally friendly. Spray foam fits that bill perfectly, they affirm.

Architect and developer Chris Krager, who works at the Austin firm KRDB, said the benefits of environmentally friendly homes are two-fold: On the one hand, the homes do not negatively affect the environment or contribute to climate change; on the other, they bring about great cost savings for homeowners as utility costs plummet.

The National Association of Home Builders has said that new home construction should adhere to the environmental codes; according to the organization, if homebuilders must choose among different tools to improve a building's energy efficiency, spray foam should be employed because of its low initial costs and of the medium- and long-term benefits that it helps create in slashed electricity and utility costs.

Ray Tonjes, a homebuilder based in Austin, Texas, affirms that contractors are increasingly using spray foam during construction projects because of its environmental and financial benefits. "Manufacturers are gearing up for a new green market," he said. "And sustainability and green building were evident in all of the show homes."