EnGuard GlassFree Polyester Insulation

Submitted by Web Master on Mon, 2010-11-22 18:00

EnGuard is a 100% polyester batt insulation. Photo: Vita Nonwovens. Click on image to enlarge.

I didn't get to spend as much time at the Greenbuild tradeshow as I would have liked last week, but I did spend three or four hours on 179,000 square-foot exhibit hall floor--that's four acres, by the way--Thursday afternoon with BuildingGreen's product editor, Brent Ehrlich. One of the products that caught my attention was EnGuard polyester insulation, which was rolled out at Greenbuild by Vita Nonwovens.

Back in February, I wrote about Dow Chemical's SafeTouch polyester insulation and lamented the fact that it didn't contain recycled content. Like SafeTouch, EnGuard is a 100% polyester batt insulation that contains no glass fiber, no formaldehyde, no VOCs, and no other harmful additives. But, unlike SafeTouch, EnGuard has 50% recycled content--from PET beverage bottles.

BG Blog ID: 
759
BG Blog URL: 
http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2010/11/22/EnGuard-GlassFree-Polyester-Insulation

Comments

Patrick, I see you are with a

Submitted by Tristan Roberts on Wed, 2012-03-21 16:10.
Patrick, I see you are with a foam company, so is this perhaps a leading question? Just about any insulation product other than batts is subject to higher-quality installation, whether it be board, loose-fill, spray, or foam. With each of those there are also ways to mess it up quite badly, whether through faulty installation or faulty building science in the wall assembly. Examples have been discussed on our blog and in our report. It comes down to having a good contractor who follows best practices and sweats the small stuff.

Tristan, you mention "any bat

Submitted by Patrick Aubrey on Wed, 2012-03-21 15:25.
Tristan, you mention "any batt installation is frequently subject to poor installation". What insulation would you recommend that's subject to a better install?

JL, there are three main down

Submitted by Tristan Roberts on Wed, 2012-03-21 12:44.
JL, there are three main downsides to EnGuard and other similar products that I see and that are reflected in BuildingGreen's report: - energy-intensive to manufacture - manufacturing feedstock is fossil fuels, not a renewable resource like cellulose - any batt installation is frequently subject to poor installation What are your thoughts?

Why isn't this polyester insu

Submitted by JL Lindler on Wed, 2012-03-21 11:02.
Why isn't this polyester insulation given a higher rating in Building Green's "How to Chose Insulation" publication? I don't see any downside other than a higher cost.

Update: I was curious if the

Submitted by Tristan Roberts on Thu, 2011-06-02 17:00.
Update: I was curious if the boardstock form of EnGuard was available -- not yet on their website. A company rep told me that it was still being worked on, and is close, but not available yet. He said they are working on half-inch and one-inch forms.

Update: I was curious if the

Submitted by Tristan Roberts on Thu, 2011-06-02 17:00.
Update: I was curious if the boardstock form of EnGuard was available -- not yet on their website. A company rep told me that it was still being worked on, and is close, but not available yet. He said they are working on half-inch and one-inch forms.