Insulation, of course, is green by virtue of its energy-saving attributes, but green is not necessarily the No. 1 or only reason more and more homeowners are installing or upgrading insulation in their homes.

Saving money — by limiting dollars spent on heating and cooling and through a variety of tax credits and local incentives — is often the foremost reason homeowners will get in touch with a remodeler about adding insulation.

To be sure, green is the proverbial elephant in the room. The resurrected term has gone mainstream and has engendered responses that range from skepticism — as evidenced by the term greenwashing — to hostility from those who think the issue is overrated and insist the concept of global warming is hot air or worse.

Certainly, being green and saving money will resonate with most homeowners, but remodelers would do well to proceed carefully with the green part of their sales pitch until discovering their prospective clients’ mind-set on the matter.

Nevertheless, major insulation manufacturers are seriously committed to making sure their products are competitively green. “Products that deliver green benefits have increased in importance since last year; with energy efficiency being the most important benefit,” says Teresa Crosato, marketing communications supervisor, Icynene.

Green building is here to stay, she says, quoting Jason Hartke, the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) director of advocacy and public policy, who says green building “is at the nexus of creating jobs, saving energy and saving money.”

Sorting out green claims

However, shopping for green products is a growing concern for homeowners who have to search for the truth behind manufacturers’ green product claims, Crosato says. She points out that according to the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report, Redefining Value in a New Economy, 23 percent of U.S. consumers say they have “no way of knowing” if a product is green or actually does what it claims. But, 77 percent agree that they “can make a positive difference by purchasing products from socially or environmentally responsible companies,” and they are actively seeking information to verify green claims.

“A focus on retrofitting, rather than new construction, is likely to be one way in which the green building movement will continue to gain momentum,” Crosato says.

“Consumers are looking for products that offer rapid payback,” she states. “Remodelers, particularly in hot, humid climates, can help their clients recoup their insulation investment by creating an unvented attic using an air-impermeable insulation, such as Icynene, to seal soffit vents and convert the attic into indirectly conditioned space,” she says.

“Because the heating and cooling equipment is often situated in the attic, creating an unvented attic design is a major way for remodelers to deliver significant energy savings. By insulating the underside of the roof deck and attic walls with Icynene, duct leakage (and energy dollars) is encapsulated within the home envelope rather than escaping to the outside. Research by Building America shows that unvented attic spaces result in energy savings by as much as 50 percent,” Crosato continues.

In addition to rapid payback, “homeowners are also looking for health and environmental benefits such as ho harmful emissions or off-gassing,” Crosato says. She notes that Icynene’s latest product, Icynene LD-R-50, is a renewable-based insulation and air barrier that is 100 percent water-blown, HFC-free and PBDE-free. Made with natural castor oil, it is a healthier and more eco-conscious alternative, she says.

The castor oil used in the product requires no chemical additives, uses a low amount of energy in its production, is grown in nonirrigated fields and is renewable, requiring less than a 10-year regrowth time frame.