The new energy code in New York State and New York City

Spray Foam Insulation NYC. We offers a preliminary blower door test required by the new energy code in New York to ensure your project will pass the New energy code compliance.
Staten Island, NY.
Brooklyn, NY.
Queens, NY.

The code official blower door test must be done by an approved third party Energy Auditor or Energy Rater. Both titles require certification – either from the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) – to qualify.

Starting the end of 2016 blower door testing is required for all commercial and residential new buildings as well as residential alterations which affect the exterior building envelope (2016 NYCECC).

The state code requires increased insulation and verified airtightness, while the NYC-specific requirements will improve insulation even more. The end result? A doubling of the insulation on exterior walls, from R-13 to R-25, plus a requirement that at least some of the wall insulation be continuous — meaning that thermal bridging, which is responsible for both heat loss and mildew, will be dramatically reduced. The new NYCECC is ushering in a new generation of well-designed and well-built low-rise residential buildings in NYC.

Get Ready for New York State and City’s New Energy Code

R-Value requirements have changed. Are you in compliance?

New York City and New York State will adopt a new version of the energy code that will bring major changes to New York and the construction industry. On July 14, 2016, the City Council voted to adopt a code update to the New York City Energy Conservation Code (NYCECC) that went into effect on October 3, 2016.The updated 2016 NYCECC code is based on New York State’s new energy code with added NYC-specific provisions. Below we outline the major changes to the NYCECC that you should be aware of:
Key changes in the NYCECC include:
Improvements in building envelope (the barrier between indoor space and outdoor space—walls, roofs, windows, and doors) design in the low-rise residential sector. This means a new generation of well-designed and built low-rise residential buildings in the City.

The following are National and New York State code provisions, which include NYC:

Code highlights for commercial sites include:
Envelope improvements – below-grade walls and slabs must be insulated.
Open combustion fuel-burning appliances must be isolated from or outside of the building’s thermal envelope.
Enhanced commissioning requirements (e.g. lighting controls, service waterheating systems, mechanical systems, etc.).
In total, this means that new commercial buildings will be almost 9 percent more energy efficient.·

NYC-specific provisions (commercial):
New requirement for air tightness testing that says:
New buildings (as defined by NYC Admin Code §28-101.4.5)between 25,000 and 50,000 square feet must conduct a blower door test and new buildings over 50,000 square feet must test or inspect each type of air barrier joint or seam.
Architects and builders must account for air conditioning and heating units that go through building walls during required energy modeling.
A 10% decrease in lighting power density for retail and office spaces.
Heat transfer of through-wall PTAC units and air conditioners must now be accounted for in energy calculations.

Code highlights for residential sites include:
Builders must run a blower door test on new residential buildings in order to ensure a maximum air leakage of three air changes per hour.
Envelope improvements e.g. increased wall insulation from R13 to R20 in NYC’s climate zone (Zone 4).
An increase in high-efficiency lighting requirements (from 50% to 75%).
A new compliance path based on the Energy Rating Index, which scores buildings from 0 to 100 relative to the 2006 code.
New one- and two-family homes will be as much as 32 percent more efficient.

NYC-specific provisions (residential):
Insulation requirements from a more-stringent climate zone (Zone 6).
New residential buildings must be solar power capable (this means they are built with easy accommodation for solar panels to be installed on roofs).

New NYCECC, New Impact
While maintaining both an affordable and achievable reality, over the next three-year code cycle, the new energy code will boast an impressive estimated carbon savings of 70,000 metric tons of carbon. That’s roughly equal to the removal of 15,000 vehicles off of NYC roads.

Almost three-quarters of New York City’s carbon pollution comes from its buildings. Changes like these will encourage the ideal of New York as an energy-savings pioneer, and assist the City in reaching its bold carbon reduction goals – which aim for an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050.

2016 Energy Conservation Code
RESIDENTIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY
COMMERCIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY

As of late 2016, R-21 is the required R-Value in residential walls. As with all code changes, increased restrictions mean environmental protections, which leave some buildings – and some contractors – falling short. If you spray foam, especially if you spray open-cell foam in New England, you need to have the facts about the code change.

If you are installing an air barrier system in new construction or are performing renovations to single-family homes or residential buildings that are three stories or less, this code change directly affects your work. As of late 2016, the walls in these structures must meet R-21. Further, these structures are only allowed three air changes per hour at a pressure differential of 50 pascals (3ACH50).

As explained in an outstanding video produced by the Urban Green Council of New York (www.urbangreencouncil.org/blowerdoor), this means that in a standard 2,500-square-foot building, if all the cracks, gaps, and tiny holes in the entire structure were combined, they could only equal the size of a 150-square-inch hole. Moreover, it is important to note that certain areas of the country follow Passive House Standards, which are even more stringent. These Standards allow leakage from an area that is the size of an average cell phone. Regardless of leakage allowance, to prove tightness, now all affected structures must pass a blower door test to pass during final inspection.

Best Spray Foam Insulation Contractors

Our Insulation Services

We offer insulation installation for homes, multi-family buildings and commercial buildings.

Whatever your client’s insulation requirements are, we can help. Spray Foam Insulation NY offers solutions for all types of residential and commercial projects:

• Residential new construction
• Home Remodels and additions
• Multi-family and tract housing
• Mixed-use developments
• Industrial buildings
• Commercial and institutional buildings

Insulating your client’s building—whether it’s a home addition, hospital, multi-family dwelling or anything else—can help:

• Increase energy efficiency – insulation helps stop energy from leaking into or escaping out of buildings and homes.
• Make the building more comfortable – the right amount of insulation helps keep homes and buildings more comfortable year round.
• Reduce outside noises – Tri-County Insulation & Acoustical Contractors can install a variety of soundproofing insulation products.
• Reduce carbon footprint – insulating a commercial building can help decrease the amount of carbon emissions the building produces.
• Protect against water and air infiltration.
• Create a healthier environment for buildings and homes.

Spray Foam Insulation NY has insulation solutions for any project and can meet your client’s insulation requirements. We’ve worked with many contractors, builders, architects and more throughout the New York Metropolitan area and surrounding areas.

Why Choose Spray Foam Insulation NY?

There are many insulation companies in New York & New Jersey—why choose Spray Foam Insulation NY?

• License: Never hire an insulation company that isn’t licensed and insured—and with us, you won’t need to worry.
• Experience: With over 15 years of experience insulating homes, we understand the ins and outs of the business and can recommend good solutions for your residential or commercial client.
• Excellent service: We are committed to providing the highest quality service, but don’t just take our word for it! Read what our customers have said.
• Competitive pricing: We stay up to date with local insulation trends so we can always deliver competitive insulation prices in the area. We even offer free initial estimates!

If you’re a contractor or developer who needs insulation for a residential or commercial project in the Bay Area, Peninsula and surrounding areas, get in touch with us today—we are just a call or click away!