Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman talks with Shane Dickson, East Regional Business Manager at Knauf Insulation, about how fiberglass and EcoBatt insulation deliver thermal, acoustic and indoor air quality performance at VISION House Hickory Grove.
00:00:01:22 - 00:00:35:18
Sara Gutterman: Hi, I'm Sarah Gutterman. I am the CEO of Green Builder Media and it is a pleasure to be here today with Shane Dixon, the East Regional Business Manager for could not be here to talk about the vision House, Hickory Grove Project, Nafs Performance and Eco Bed Insulation will be featured throughout the project. So can you talk a little bit more about the application of Nafs insulation products and, just talk a little bit more about why this particular project is a good fit for showcasing your insulation technologies.
00:00:35:20 - 00:00:55:03
Shane Dickson: You know, sir, most people don't ever see insulation right when it's in their home. Unless they get into the attic, maybe they see the loose still in the attic. But as far as the exterior walls and that sort of thing, once the drywall goes in, it's kind of out of sight, out of mind. But it's it's one of the most critical points of the structure.
00:00:55:10 - 00:01:15:21
Shane Dickson: Like, if you don't get I've always said like, you could, you could live in your dream home. But if you can't live inside that home comfortably, you know, from a heating and cooling and a cost standpoint, you know, it becomes it becomes a burden. So, you know, our products kind of allow to relieve the, the homeowners from that burden.
00:01:15:21 - 00:01:54:05
Shane Dickson: But, you know, but from an affordability standpoint, you know, fiberglass is easily the most cost effective way to insulate a home. You know, we say the best energy is the energy that you don't use, you know, so insulation is a critical component to, conserving energy. You know, all of our products are made in the USA, you know, and designed for high performance for single family multi-family, you know, very, cross functional and usage, you know, the Hickory, you know, the project with Hickory Grove, it brings together, I'd say like energy efficiency, comfort, health.
00:01:54:08 - 00:02:00:18
Shane Dickson: It's just an ideal way for us to, to showcase performance. Plus, you know, with our eco bad insulation.
00:02:00:20 - 00:02:25:08
Sara Gutterman: So that's a really nice dovetail into my next question for you, which is about eco baths, thermal acoustic and air quality performance. In terms of creating healthier, quieter and more comfortable living spaces for homeowners, talk a little bit about those attributes and then measurable performance benefits that home. Yeah, owners or occupants can expect.
00:02:25:10 - 00:02:49:03
Shane Dickson: Certainly. So I mean, obviously the homeowner benefits from from lower energy bills, quieter rooms, healthier indoor environments. You know, it's great for sound. And with this project being a duplex, you know, it's important the sound doesn't travel from one unit to the next, right? So, fiberglass in the interior walls, the partition walls or party walls is what we call them.
00:02:49:06 - 00:03:15:21
Shane Dickson: It's a great way to kind of control the sound and the flow. So, you know, beyond just, you know, the thermal protection, having the acoustical, layer of that is, it's a nice, nice that, you know, I would say that, all of our products like that we're using on this, so, like the unfazed fiberglass bass, the blowing wall in the attic, it's all Class-A fire rated, which is required in multifamily construction.
00:03:15:21 - 00:03:43:06
Shane Dickson: So that's a that's a plus, from thermal performance. You know, fiberglass kind of ensures the home's energy efficiency. It reduces the electrical load for heating and cooling, with, Hvac units, which extends the life of the units, which is saving the consumers, you know, homeowners money. You know, the the thermal performance is just a it's a critical piece, and a net zero construction waste.
00:03:43:06 - 00:04:07:08
Shane Dickson: This is so, you know, I mentioned indoor air quality. You know, we we call our the line, we call this our products is called Performance Plus. So we're the only insulation on the market, that has asthma and allergy friendly, certification. So maybe it contributes to building space with positive indoor air quality. So, like, who doesn't want that?
00:04:07:08 - 00:04:28:16
Shane Dickson: Right? You know, my family, you know, I have children that had allergies and asthma and, you know, it's this would have been around, you know, when they were younger like that. What it would absolutely would have been something that I would have been looking for as a homeowner. So, you know, we, we had it tested by a third, third party.
00:04:28:18 - 00:04:47:17
Shane Dickson: It's the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Make sure I get that right. But they ensure that our products have no off gassing, no volatile organic compounds, no red list chemicals. And has minimal dust. So it it offers homeowner peace of mind, you know, with with their insulation.
00:04:47:19 - 00:04:53:12
Sara Gutterman: How does nafs insulation adapt to off site and modular building applications.
00:04:53:14 - 00:05:17:11
Shane Dickson: Yes. So you know, the prefab building demands precision. You know, simply put, you know, it's it's it's all prefabricated. So I mean when it gets there it's got to be ready to go. So, the eco bat installs easily holds its shape. Performs consistently across the board. So, it travels well from factory to jobsite, which is good.
00:05:17:14 - 00:05:29:06
Shane Dickson: You know, it's a critical piece, in terms of quality and efficiency, you know, for the offsite build, I would say it works seamlessly within a larger system designed for performance and to be.
00:05:29:08 - 00:05:45:03
Sara Gutterman: Talked about, cannabis kind of back end manufacturing processes and how you're communicating all of your sustainable corporate strategies, as well as product features and attributes to builders and homeowners.
00:05:45:05 - 00:06:18:10
Shane Dickson: Consumers want to know what's in their homes, in the best way for us to do that is to offer transparency, because transparency builds trust. You know, our RFPs or product specific, site specific, and third party verified. So I it kind of checks all the boxes. But, you know, a commitment to clear communication. I think, you know, backed by the third party certifications, with verified data, is is another key component.
00:06:18:12 - 00:06:23:17
Shane Dickson: You know, we're focused on helping helping builders and homeowners make informed and sustainable choices.
00:06:23:20 - 00:06:48:04
Sara Gutterman: The vision house, Hickory Grove community is going to be net zero carbon. So that starts, of course, with climate responsive design and then green building and building science best practices, and then goes into the meticulous specification of low carbon products from low carbon companies. And then we will also purchase carbon offsets to ensure, you know, that we get that last mile, to become net zero carbon.
00:06:48:04 - 00:07:06:22
Sara Gutterman: So talk a little bit about how can offset commitments around things like circularity and waste reduction and, the development of your eco binder technology and adoption of recycled content? Help will help us reach the net zero carbon goals.
00:07:06:24 - 00:07:43:05
Shane Dickson: You know, we've got a pretty robust roadmap, sustainability topics that that they're following in our company, wants to pursue. You know, our goal is to be, to be net zero by 2050. So lofty goal. But you know, I think we're probably, you know, we're on the right track, you know, the raw ingredients of our products, you know, recycle glass, sand, corn, you know, all things that are sustainable, you know, fiber, fiberglass insulation takes.
00:07:43:08 - 00:08:04:00
Shane Dickson: It's I believe it's 45 days to recover, the energy that it's used to make to make the product. So, you know, by the time you make it, ship it, install it, 45 days, you know, it keeps saving energy for a lifetime beyond that. So, you know, it's a pretty quick return as far as the energy that it's put in.
00:08:04:00 - 00:08:36:13
Shane Dickson: So, which I think is, is pretty cool, to kind of have that carbon payback, you mentioned the increased technology. So something that we're very proud of. You know, when we discovered this technology, it's a plant based binder, so, you know, very sustainable in that regard. We use that in lieu of, like, petroleum based, which all our manufacturers or competitors are all using petroleum based.
00:08:36:16 - 00:08:41:27
Shane Dickson: So, you know, it's, it's a rapidly renewable resource since it's plant based.
00:08:41:27 - 00:09:00:01
Sara Gutterman: Wonderful. We're saying thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your insights. We're really looking forward to working with you on the vision House, Hickory Grove, and seeing how Kansas, offers all kinds of thermal acoustic, fire risk mitigation and healthy home benefits to the occupants of those structures.