The Thermal Insulation Association of Canada’s big American brother, the National Insulation Association, has embarked on an ambitious campaign to promote greater usage of mechanical insulation throughout the U.S. that could have a positive spillover north of the border. The U.S. association recently formed an alliance with the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (IAHFI and Allied Workers) union and is knocking on federal and state legislative doors to obtain funding for educational and awareness programs plus tax incentives that will increase the use of mechanical insulation for energy efficiency/conservation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Initially, the mandate focuses on maintenance in the industrial arena.

Ron King, past-president and now a consultant to the NIA, says there are at least three reasons why government should pay close attention to the industry’s campaign: mechanical insulation is not cost-prohibitive but is energy efficient; it reduces greenhouse gas emissions; and, it creates jobs. In the industrial maintenance sector alone, adding mechanical insulation could create 16,000 jobs in the U.S., says King, noting that those jobs would be created practically overnight. “It is a shovel-ready industry. In most cases you can define the scope of the project, bid, be awarded the contract and begin the work in 30-60 days. A lot of projects talked about for stimulating the economy and creating jobs require extensive engineering that takes a year or more to implement.”

In addition to job creation, the energy savings in theindustrial maintenance arena would be $2.5 billion and CO2 emissions would be reduced by more than 61 billion pounds, King projects.

Chris Ishkanian, president of TIAC, thinks that the success of the alliance’s efforts could have a significant impact on the industry in Canada. “It’s a big help for us if the guys in the U.S. are able to get some heavyweights in government backing them. It would be pretty disappointing if our leaders did not follow their lead.”

The U.S. alliance’s striking numbers are based on sound information gleaned from assessments done on industrial manufacturing facilities by consultants to the U.S. Deptartment of Energy. “For the first time in the U.S. we have a number – and it is a big number – extrapolated from these assessments.”

He says even if the numbers are inaccurate by 25 percent the savings in energy costs for mechanical insulation in piping and ductwork would still be “hugely significant. Those kinds of numbers would apply to Canada, too.” “When you look at how relatively easy it is to perform maintenance on insulation, and you get a payback on this in less than one year, you might wonder why business has not all ready done this,” says King. “The bottom line is it is not a business priority because maintenance has been seen as an expense, rather than an investment.”

Ishkanian says that TIAC doesn’t have the resources to organize the ambitious lobby campaign that its American  counterpart has put together. It own image-raising campaign will take on a somewhat different approach. Rather than focus primarily on maintenance in the industrial sector, TIAC sees retrofits in commercial/institutional building sector as of prime importance. There is “a very significant amount” of damaged and undermaintained insulation in facilities, which is where some of the big energy efficiency gains can be made. A study a few years ago by the Greater Vancouver Regional District concluded that next to automobiles, buildings were the second biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. “Industry (industrial maintenance) represented a very small percentage of those emissions.”

Ishkanian says the association would like to see mechanical insulation addressed in building codes and TIAC aims to raise awareness with LEED design consultants on the merits of using mechanical insulation.

One means of making its case is through computer software programs that illustrate the merits of mechanical insulation. 3E Plus, the industry standard program for mechanical insulation thickness calculations, is a case in point. “It can show you how much energy you are losing from even one little piece of equipment—a valve or elbow which are not insulated, for instance. It’s phenomenal,” he explains.

Calling it a “forgotten technology” in the U.S., King says the merits of mechanical insulation have long gone unrecognized. “People have not bought mechanical insulation for energy conservation in maybe 90 percent cases [of industrial applications].”

Safety, not energy efficiency, is a key factor in thespecification of any mechanical insulation application, beit for high or low pressure steam, chilled water, or otherapplications.

Over the past few years NIA has been trying to “elevate” the product’s status so owners realize its benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and sustainability. But the time has never been better to promote the product, suggests King.

Three major issues in the U.S., he adds, have put the campaign on the fast track he adds: the economic downturn, the need to create jobs, and the Barak Obama administration’s focus on the environment including energy efficiency-geared programs. “Those three stars are aligning, which is creating a renewed opportunity for mechanical insulation.”

Terry Lynch, international vice-president of IAHFI and Allied Workers, says while the alliance of the big union with NIA is an unusual pairing, it shows how concerned the two groups are about the industry. “The people that we represent – the business managers, the vice president, the guys that will make this thing work – are all for this whole project. This is the right time to get our message out.”