THE RESPONSIBLE CHOICE
Energy conservation is not only important for cost savings, but also to protect the environment from wasteful energy consumption and unnecessary carbon emissions. Atlas EnergyShield products improve the efficiency of a building’s envelope, helping to earn LEED® credits and meet federal, state and local green building laws.
Our manufacturing processes are also sustainable and responsible, with polyiso using fewer resources to achieve the highest insulation levels, thanks to its high R-value per inch. Atlas wall products have zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and virtually no global warming potential (GWP), helping cut HVAC energy and carbon emissions.
As a leader in the building products industry, Atlas is committed not only to compliance with the law relating to the environment, but also to the integration of sound environmental practices in its business decisions. The following environmental principles provide guidance to Atlas Roofing Corporation personnel in the conduct of their daily business practices:
- Comply with government environmental laws and regulations
Atlas recognizes governmental laws and regulations as a first necessary step toward environmental responsibility. - Promote environmentally conscious practices
Atlas values environmental leadership inside and outside the company, including participation in industry organizations. - Produce quality products designed for sustainability
Atlas understands that durability and product lifespan are keys to sustainable building practice. - Strategically operate manufacturing facilities to reduce environmental impact of product distribution
Atlas understands that the total environmental impact of its products includes transportation and fossil fuel consumption. - Provide a safe and healthy work environment for all employees
Atlas is committed to promoting and maintaining safety equipment and training programs for its employees. - Minimize the impact on the environment from manufacturing processes
Atlas understands the need to conserve energy and raw materials used and incorporates recycled materials whenever practicable and consistent with required levels of quality. The company is committed to minimizing the release of waste materials and researching the impact that new facilities, equipment changes, or product development might have on the environment. - Promote environmental awareness
Atlas is committed to making its customers fully aware of the environmental benefits of Atlas products. - Continually review environmental practices and policy
In this age of rapid technological change, Atlas understands the need to remain current in environmental issues and in seeking to produce environmentally friendly products.
The ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) code has multiple compliance paths – from the simple, prescriptive compliance approach (checklist) to complex building energy simulations (performance-based compliance). When the prescriptive levels change (efficiency levels are increased), a new bar is also established for those seeking to use the more complicated energy simulation tools. The changes are climate zone and building type specific.
ASHRAE 90.1 – 2004
Many states still recognize and use ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004 which has been the energy code referenced in the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). As such, this standard defines code minimums for the classes of constructions covered.
ASHRAE 90.1 – 2007
In 2007, for the first time in over 19 years, ASHRAE increased the minimum required prescriptive R-value (resistance to heat flow) for roof and wall insulation levels in Standard 90.1– the national model energy code for commercial buildings. The above-deck roof insulation requirements, previously at R-15, increased by 33% to R-20 in every climate zone in the U.S. Similar increases were approved for walls. The increased roof and wall insulation values apply to all commercial and high-rise residential buildings covered by Standard 90.1. These changes now become a part of the newest edition of the Standard — 90.1-2007. The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is being adopted rapidly by state and local code jurisdictions across the United States. The IECC incorporates the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard, offering both prescriptive and performance-based approaches.
ASHRAE 189.1 – 2009
The newly approved ASHRAE Standard 189.1 — 2009 became the first Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, providing minimum requirements for the design of sustainable buildings to balance environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, occupant comfort and wellbeing, and community sensitivity. ASHRAE Standard 189 uses the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System as a key resource offering a baseline that will drive green building into mainstream building practices.
ASHRAE 90.1 – 2010
The next standard of code compliance will be ASHRAE 90.1 – 2010. The requirements for commercial roofs with polyiso insulation are expected to range from R-20 in the southeast to R-35 in the far north. ASHRAE has set aggressive goals for improved energy conservation in the nation’s energy performance standard for commercial buildings – targeting a 30% improvement in efficiency for the 2010 version of the standard.
International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Climate Regions
To achieve a specific level of efficiency, building codes require a structure to meet certain R-values. This minimum R-value differs depending on the region’s climate zone, and can vary to meet specific state and local building codes.
The chart below provides minimum R-value requirements for commercial buildings, residential buildings higher than three stories, and semi-conditioned buildings like warehouses for each ASHRAE zone.
Zone 1 includes Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Zone 7 includes all of Alaska except the following Boroughs in Zone 8: Bethel, Dellingham, Fairbanks N. Star, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Southeast Fairbanks, Wade Hampton & Yukon-Koyukuk
Roofs with Insulation Entirely Above Deck
I-Code and ASHRAE Requirements
Atlas is a proud member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a leader in education, advocacy and advancement of the growing Green Building movement in the United States and around the world. USGBC was founded in 1993 and has grown to more than 15,000 members and more than 75 local chapters across the United States.
Their creation and continued development of the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ has become an industry standard for educating and offering accreditation for Green Building projects across North America.
LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Atlas insulation products can help earn LEED credits.
Atlas continuous insulation products can help your project achieve LEED or many other green building aspirations.
Any level of LEED certification includes careful attention to building materials. Factors such as, how far materials were shipped and how those materials were manufactured, affect potential LEED point accumulation.
Performance of materials once your building becomes functional will also be critical.
Wall CI has been proven the most effective way to insulate in order to maximize your facility’s energy efficiency. Remember that traditional insulation only insulates between framing space. Those wooden studs or metal frames that sit between walls, lose large amounts of energy.
Because framing material most often contacts both the inside and outside of wall surfaces, they facilitate energy transfer, also known as thermal bridging. The studs within the frame act as a bridge, allowing the flow of energy between the outside and inside environments of the structure.
Estimates indicate that for steel-framed buildings, thermal bridging causes a 50% or more reduction in a wall’s R-value. Continuous insulation sits between the structure’s frame and the ambient environment, thereby blocking the thermal bridge.
Continuous insulation systems help to meet compliance with a large group of environmental certifications and building standards. Their use helps earn LEED credits and meet IGCC or ASHRAE 189.1 as well as state and local green building laws, such as California’s CALGreen.
How Polyiso Helps You Attain LEED Certification
Due to its high thermal efficiency, zero ozone depletion potential, and negligible global warming potential, polyiso wall continuous insulation makes an ideal choice for LEED building design.
If you’re planning a project, and LEED will be part of your requirements, contact Atlas. One of our continuous insulation experts can help you plan a path toward LEED certification.
Here are a few feature highlights that demonstrate Atlas Wall CI boards’ potential LEED certification benefits:
Energy & Atmosphere
Minimum Energy Performance: Prerequisite 2
Thermally efficient Atlas Wall CI boards facilitate compliance with ASHRAE 90.1/IECC and local energy codes.
Optimize Energy Performance: Credit 1
Atlas Wall CI provides the highest thermal resistance per inch of material and can economically contribute to achieving one of the LEED levels of optimized energy performance. Wall CI boards provide exceptional energy performance due to their ability to prevent thermal bridging.
Energy and Atmosphere: Credit 1–10
Wall CI provides a major impact on a structures potential energy use. LEED v.3 requires a 10 percent reduction over ASHRAE 90.1-2007 for new buildings and an Energy Star performance rating of at least 69 for existing facilities.
Recent research has begun to elucidate just how much energy thermal bridging wastes for the average facility. Incorporating Wall CI, thereby reducing thermal bridging, can increase your building envelope’s R-value substantially. With LEED’s incremental scale in this category based on reducing energy usage, Wall CI can help achieve as many points as possible up to the maximum of 10.
Beyond LEED certification, the energy performance benefits of Wall CI last for years. Overall energy savings by facility owners may be just as valuable as the LEED credits themselves.
Materials & Resources
Construction Waste Management: Credit 2
Atlas Wall CI boards can be cut in multiple sizes. More exact sizing means less waste at the project site during construction.
Materials Reuse: Credit 3
Depending upon its original use, Atlas wall continuous insulation can be reused. Reusing materials provides the added benefit of reduced demand for virgin materials, reduces waste and shrinks the overall waste footprint of your project.
Recycled Content: Credit 4
Atlas Wall CI can be used toward one of the levels of recycled materials credit. Speak with the Atlas account executive for your specific region to get product specific information pertaining to each project.
Local/Regional Materials: Credit 5
Atlas has eight polyiso insulation plants and sources of raw materials across North America—that’s more than any other polyiso manufacturer. That often also means shorter shipping distances from an Atlas facility to your project site. Therefore, the use of Atlas Wall CI may contribute towards gaining this credit, depending on the project location and the version of LEED being used as the basis of design. Speak with the Atlas account executive for your specific region to get product specific information pertaining to each project.
Certified Wood: Credit 7
FSC-certified wood when used in products where Polyiso is bonded to the wood can contribute to gaining this credit.
More Information
For more information on Atlas LEED Potential, please Contact Us for specific details on wall continuous insulation you are specifying for your project.
For more information on LEED, please visit www.USGBC.org.