Recent improvements to model energy codes are boosting advances in the use of insulation for commercial and residential building envelopes. These changes are helping to offset energy costs, and improve the durability and resiliency of buildings. As a result, the methods and materials design professionals specify for thermal management in building projects are also changing.
In 2012, the International Code Council (ICC) published an updated International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) that called for a 30 percent increase over the 2006 code in building energy savings, the single largest efficiency increase in the history of the model energy code. Along with upgrading commercial roof insulation to current R-value code requirements, the 2012 IECC highlights continuous insulation (CI) systems as an effective design to increase thermal efficiency.