Walk around any job site, or be a fly on the wall in any design-build meeting and you will seldom hear anyone denying or even questioning the importance of properly installed drywall, plumbing, or electrical work, yet mechanical insulation is often up for debate. Although it is firmly specified in national and municipal energy codes, mechanical insulation is often treated as subjective, arbitrarily reduced, or even eliminated at the mercy of value engineering.
A strong message must begin with education about mechanical insulation’s real purpose and importance, and its potential to green up the building sector, and it has to start in school.
In British Columbia, the only place to train as a mechanical insulator is in a four-year program at BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) after which graduates become ticketed tradespeople. In the Maritimes, the trade is learned through on-the-job or technical training—on-the-job representing conventional mentorship.
Technical training in Nova Scotia, as an example, is mandated through the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, said Danny Pacione, Director of Maritimes for TIAC. Apprentices attend a mandatory six-week per year classroom training for three years, and are eligible to write the certification / Red Seal exam after completing the third year of training and the required number of hours.
“The Red Seal is a recognized standard across Canada,” said Pacione. “Employers consider this as an indication of skills and competency.”
The system is more or less the same in every province and is rigorous—but this level of education is needed to confirm workers understand the proper application methods for the materials being used, he added, noting it is also important that insulators understand the purpose of the materials and the systems being covered.
“Insulation for mechanical systems provides many different functions besides heat conservation, condensation control, and personal protection,” said Pacione. “It also acts as a fire retardant in some applications, and provides thermal insulation requirements so that systems can operate properly.
“Building managers depend on properly insulated mechanical systems so they can achieve the best performance that their systems are designed for.”
Of course, every aspect of the construction process has a level of importance, from the foundation to the roof construction and everything in between, he added.
“It’s fair to say that there is not one that oversees another, and they all share equal importance in the overall process.”
With this in mind, contractors have an obligation to educate specifiers in any context where the insulation portion is not addressed appropriately or sufficiently.
Contractors begin their scope working with construction engineers, and the time of tender is the best time to address inconsistencies, said Pacione.
“At the time of tender we will comment on the specifications if we feel that the mechanical engineers have overlooked a specific requirement, or we will provide suggestions to make mechanical systems operate better or more efficiently than what was original spec’d,” he said.
“During construction the education is weighted more towards the insulation crews and proper jobsite management so we can confirm that specs are being followed, and materials are being applied in a proper manor.”
Pacione said TIAC’s mandate is to educate the construction team first and to make sure they are aware of the importance of insulation.
“Somewhere down the road the public needs to be aware that behind the facade is a properly installed mechanical system that is insulated to provide the best possible engineered requirements,” he said.
Andre Pachon, Director of British Columbia for TIAC said educating the design community comes in the form of many initiatives including the BC Insulation Contractors’ Association’s (BCICA) Quality Assurance Program, which the association hopes will one day see national implementation.
Pachon said Lunch and Learn presentations with specifiers have also been effective, bringing BCICA members in contact with the engineering community.
“Contractors can also help by speaking up when the mechanical wants to value engineer something, or use plastic and don’t think they have to insulate it,” said Pachon. “We can personally approach the engineer and show them the documentation, and if there is a mistake, document it with changes and speak up to engineers.
“They go along with what people do and say and doing it correctly needs to become the culture of the job,” he added.
Steve Clayman, director of energy initiatives at TIAC, continues to reach out to engineering and specification groups via membership, board presence, and tradeshow participation, educating the construction community about the importance of insulation in the general building landscape.
He said student mechanical engineers are not exposed to MI to any extent, which begs the question, “How do we educate the profs to educate the students?” In his former career, Clayman contacted engineering deans to start and then the professors that were recommended as part of a company-supported outreach program. Creating a similar program through TIAC would require full participation from the membership.
On the job, manufacturers could play a part in educating the engineering team. “The very manufacturers who are TIAC members have been remiss over a long period of time in not covering mechanical engineers,” said Clayman. “The pushback I get is, ‘why spend the time when the spec is generic?’ The manufacturer gains no advantage, and so it goes. But there are advantages for those manufacturers who have a better mouse trap.”
Clayman said another problem is architects failing to leave enough space for HVAC equipment and insulation. “Now that pipe insulation thicknesses have been bumped up, this issue is even more problematic,” he said.
“The onus is on the contractors to intervene during the bidding process, as Danny and Andre stated. Unfortunately at this stage the engineers are under a great deal of pressure to get moving, errors or not. Considering these engineers likely have almost every HVAC interest coming at them to approve substitutions or clarify something, it’s very tough to gain an audience for MI.
Some specs state that no changes will be considered ‘X days’ prior to closing.”
Pachon said the education message is a crucial piece of promoting TIAC’s mandate and encourages participation at tradeshows in all locales.
“It seems insane that we know how much energy buildings use and we don’t insulation properly,” he said. “We are blowing all these GHGs off of roofs and we have a solution available. It doesn’t make sense.
“It would be nice to see more people getting involved and going to tradeshows and putting their time in to help get the message out.”
