Dow Buildings Solutions Wins Two Green Product Awards

Building Products Magazine Recognizes the Role of Insulation in Green Building

Midland, MI.

* Insulation is one of the most important elements of green homes and buildings.
* STYROFOAM SIS™ Brand Structural Insulated Sheathing and the THERMAX™ Wall System seen by experts as contributing the most value to builders, remodelers and architects.
* Dow Building Solutions is the first company to win multiple green product awards in the same competition.

Dow Building Solutions (DBS) has brought home the “green” from Building Products magazine’s second annual Green Product Awards contest.

DBS earned the coveted awards for two different continuous insulation (ci) wall systems - STYROFOAM SIS™ Brand Structural Insulated Sheathing and the THERMAX™ Wall System. This is the first time in the competition’s history that a company has won for two products in the same year.

“Builders, contractors and architects recognize the value of insulation in making a structure greener and more energy efficient,” said Mike McGaugh, vice president and general manager, Dow Building Solutions, North America. “At Dow, we are helping to make green-built homes and buildings even better by developing and bringing to market new technologies that perform better, save more energy and are easier to install.”

The winners of the 2009 Green Product Awards represent product introductions that excelled in three areas: sustainability, value to the contractor, and innovation. The ultimate award winners were those deemed to contribute the most to green-built homes and buildings, and offer the most value to builders, remodelers and architects.

STYROFOAM SIS™ Structural Insulated Sheathing from Dow combines a structural layer, a moisture barrier, and foam insulation, providing R-values of 3.0 at ½ inch or 5.5 at 1 inch. Made of up to 80 percent post-consumer recycled content by weight, STYROFOAM SIS™ Brand Structural Insulated Sheathing is ENERGY STAR-qualified. And, at one-third the weight of OSB†, it is easier to handle and quicker to install. One judge summed up the products benefits as, “This appears to be an excellent product, providing wall bracing, energy performance, and the potential for weatherization all in one. The labor savings alone is huge.”

“Builders who have switched from un-insulated sheathing, such as OSB, to STYROFOAM SIS™ like the fact that they only need one product to deliver structure, water resistance and thermal insulation,” said John Hammer, residential market manager, Dow Building Solutions, North America. “It’s an easier way for them to build greener homes. Homeowners benefit too, saving anywhere from $200-$500 on their energy bills‡.”

The THERMAX™ Wall System by Dow is a new approach to steel stud wall design that makes it easier to minimize a building’s energy usage in a cost-effective manner. The system integrates continuous rigid foam insulation and flashing on the exterior, and spray polyurethane foam on the interior. It provides an R-value of up to 28.8, blocks air infiltration, and helps prevent moisture intrusion.

“THERMAX™ is truly innovative because it reduces the number of trades involved in erecting the wall assembly and, because of the spray-applied interior wall insulation, the smallest penetrations are eliminated,” said Birmingham, Michigan, architect Victor Saroki of Victor Saroki & Associates, in a testimonial.

“When we calculated the tremendous energy loss in steel stud construction that used traditional gypsum and batt insulation, we decided to create a wall system that provides thermal protection and prevents air and moisture penetration without adding steps,” said Doug Todd, commercial market manager, Dow Building Solutions, North America. “With some recent projects, our customers have reported energy savings of 30 to 40 percent over the original design, and capital cost reductions for materials and labor of up to $60,000.”