Reston, Virginia—November 30, 2016—The National Insulation Association (NIA), the not-for-profit association representing all facets of the commercial, industrial, and mechanical insulation industry, congratulates President-elect Donald J. Trump on his recent victory. We are encouraged by his vow to invest in our nation’s infrastructure and stand ready to partner with him, his administration, and Congress in ensuring that we are investing in products that are American made, highly efficient, and will save billions of dollars well into the future.

NIA is eager to offer its expertise and resources to the next administration. NIA takes its role as the voice of the insulation industry very seriously, and we intend to use our voice to educate our leaders on how our technology is crucial to creating jobs, ensuring energy-efficient buildings, and lowering carbon emissions.

Mechanical insulation is a proven energy-efficiency and emission-reduction technology that will improve personnel safety and reduce costs while also creating tens of thousands of jobs. Extrapolating from the results of more than 1,100 energy assessments of large- and medium-size plants (and using the results from NIA’s assessments of small plants and the utility industry), the U.S. Department of Energy’s Save Energy Now program estimated that increased maintenance of mechanical insulation in areas where it was missing or damaged could:

• Deliver $3.7 billion in annual energy savings.
• Reduce 37.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
• Provide a return on investment in 11.3 months (106% annual return).
• Create more than 27,000 jobs per year for insulation contractors, 90–95% of which represent small businesses across the United States.
• Promote American manufacturing, since 98% of the materials required for these opportunities are made in the United States of America, with most of the rest made in Canada.

These estimates are based primarily on process heating and steam systems. They do not include manufacturing processes or other opportunities, which could yield even more savings and create more job opportunities.

Through the increased use and maintenance of commercial and industrial insulation—collectively known as mechanical insulation—we have the potential to slash the building and manufacturing sectors’ energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions while creating new jobs. Mechanical insulation systems are used for piping, equipment, vessels, HVAC, boilers, and other similar mechanical equipment and piping applications in industrial and commercial applications at above and below service temperature conditions. Mechanical insulation is a vital component in creating and maintaining high-performance buildings.

Buildings are responsible for 40% of U.S. energy demand and 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Making efficiency gains in this area is crucial if we are to markedly reduce America’s energy consumption and effectively combat emissions. At the residential level, insulation is well understood for its efficiency benefits and is widely used. However, the most significant untapped potential is in the commercial and industrial sectors, which together consume 2.5 times more energy than homes, according to the Energy Information Administration. It is our hope that this new administration will work with the industry to secure our country’s energy independence. We know that the mechanical insulation industry can help achieve this objective and we welcome the opportunity to work with the new administration.

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National Insulation Association | 703-464-6422 
 12100 Sunset Hills Road
Suite 330
Reston, VA 20190
www.Insulation.org | www.InsulationOutlook.com

NIA is a not-for-profit trade association representing both merit (open shop) and union contractors, distributors, laminators, fabricators, and manufacturers that provide thermal insulation, insulation accessories, and components to the commercial, mechanical, and industrial markets throughout the nation. Since 1953, the northern Virginia-based association has been the voice of the insulation industry and is dedicated to keeping the commercial and industrial insulation industry up to date on the latest industry trends and technologies. For more information, visit www.Insulation.org.