Insulation products are unique among construction materials, because their essential function is to reduce the operational space heating and cooling energy demands of buildings. However, 90 percent of the insulation currently available on the market consists of plastic foam, fiberglass or mineral wool, which are non-recyclable and made from the very fossil fuel resources they are intended to conserve. Innovative, renewable and cost-effective insulation products are now entering the market.

During this session you will learn about an important moderate-income multifamily building in New York City that went through a major transformation to electrify its heating and hot water, resulting in dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Project stakeholders will review the entire project design process, installation process, highlight lessons learned, and discuss the environmental, energy, and comfort impacts to the building and its occupants.

Let’s make the multifamily affordable housing synonymous with healthy building construction. Many of us already seek out healthy materials for our projects, and all of us can with the right information. This session will build skills and confidence in healthy material selection, improve our ability to talk about the potential health benefits of high performance construction, and distinguish the myth from the realities of healthy material cost, performance and availability.