Mechanical Insulation: Setting the Standard

Jeff DeGraaf

Jeff DeGraaf’s extensive experience, leadership, and commitment to industry standards have made him a respected figure in the insulation community. With over four decades of national contracting experience, he continually drives advancements and is currently creating new national standards for the mechanical insulation industry as the Chair of AMPP/NIA Joint Standards Committee, SC 27 on behalf of NIA. DeGraaf currently serves as a Consultant for NIA, is a former member of NIA’s Board of Directors, a Past President of the Midwest Insulation Contractors Association (MICA) and served on MICA’s Board of Directors for 9 years. For 12 years, he has served on MICA’s Manual Committee, helping to develop and revise both the 8th and 9th versions of the North American Commercial and Industrial Insulation Standards manual, and the highly anticipated 10th edition scheduled for release in the spring of 2026. Previously, he was a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for NCCER, playing a key role in revamping their insulation class materials and tests.

Kristin V. DiDomenico

Kristin V. DiDomenico is NIA’s Vice President. With over 20 years of association experience, focusing on membership, operations, and project management, she has overseen the implementation of NIA’s association management software systems and the integration with its learning management system. She is the current project lead of NIA’s development of national mechanical insulation standards and is a program manager for the Foundation for Mechanical Insulation Education, Training, and Industry Advancement, a 501 (c)(3). She works with SMEs and Consultants to develop and execute educational and awareness initiatives to advance the mechanical insulation industry..

February 1, 2025

The National Insulation Association (NIA) and the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) have partnered to facilitate the development of standards in areas related to mechanical insulation in the commercial and industrial markets.

As a result, a joint AMPP/NIA Standards Committee, SC 27, Mechanical Insulation, has been established to:

Develop and maintain standards, guides, and reports related to mechanical insulation for industrial, commercial, marine, or consumer application. This includes mechanical insulation systems encompassing thermal, acoustical, and personnel safety requirements in mechanical piping and equipment for hot and cold applications; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) applications, refrigeration and other low-temperature piping and equipment applications, and metal building insulation.

 

 

The joint committee will be hosted within AMPP’s standards program. AMPP Standards Committees (SCs) allow committee members to share subject matter expertise, expand and enhance their relationships with industry professionals, and make a lasting impact on industry. The committees are responsible for generating, publishing, and maintaining all AMPP products that require a consensus-driven process.

The development process will be discussed at the first meeting of SC 27. The suggested process will be for NIA to create the initial draft of each insulation standards, with an arduous review process through NIA’s new Standards Committee. Within that committee, there will be Working Groups that NIA members can join. Once the draft is complete, NIA will submit the draft standard to SC 27 for that committee’s discussion and review process. Then the draft of the insulation standard will be approved by the AMPP’sStandards Program Committee (SPC). Suggested projects for SC 27 to consider can also originate from AMPP members or other industry stakeholders.

 

NIA’s Standards Committee

Initial drafts of insulation standards are in development by NIA’s Standards Committee Working Groups, which consist of NIA members from the contracting, fabrication, and manufacturing segments. The drafts will be subject to consensus approval by multiple groups, and ultimately by a review committee consisting of members of the NIA Technical Information Committee. Drafts are then subject to approval by NIA’s Board of Directors.

 

Current Initial Drafts of Insulation Standards in Development by NIA

Two standards are in the initial draft process:
  1. DRAFT: AMPP/NIA SP21594 Installation Procedures–Flashing Sealant (Flashing) of Protrusions in Mechanical Insulation Systems
  2. DRAFT: AMPP/NIA SP21595 Installation Procedures–Insulation Joint Sealant for Rigid Mechanical Insulation Systems

 

Initial Meeting of AMPP SC 27, Mechanical Insulation

The first meeting of SC 27, Mechanical Insulation, will take place Wednesday, April 9, 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. CT, Room 202C, during AMPP’s 2025 Annual Conference and Expo in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, please visit https://ace.ampp.org.

During the initial meeting, committee members will be introduced, leadership will review suggested ways the insulation standards program could be executed, members will discuss the thinking behind how initials standards drafts will be structured and developed, and the committee will solicit feedback. An agenda and additional details will be posted at a later date.

There are two opportunities to be involved:

  1. NIA welcomes and encourages members to get involved with the development of standards through NIA’s Standards Committee and Working Groups. For more information, please contact Jeff DeGraaf at jdegraaf@insulation.org.
  2. To join the SC 27, Mechanical Insulation, while the AMPP website and login portals are being updated, email standards@ampp.org with your name, title, company, email address, phone, and the type of company you work for, such as contractor, manufacturer, etc.  Please note that you do not need to be a member of AMPP to join SC 27.

Questions?

For more information about NIA’s Insulation Standards, please contact Kristin DiDomenico, Vice President, NIA, at kdidomenico@insulation.org, or visit www.insulation.org/nia-insulation-standards.