Photo courtesy NAIMA

Properly evaluating insulation installations can help improve a building's overall energy efficiency.

The 2010 National Building Code of Canada (NBC) might encourage specific best practices for mechanical insulation. The Thermal Insulation Association of Canada (TIAC) is lobbying for inclusion of a one-line reference to its manual for national insulation standards in Section 6 of NBC.

A spokesperson for the association pointed out architects, engineers, and other building professionals tend to have limited knowledge on insulation installation; consequently, design professionals may simply assume a contractor's work is correct. Including this reference in the code provides a framework for professionals to legitimately evaluate a contractor's application of insulation. This inclusion would also increase awareness of mechanical insulation's effect on energy conservation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Other government documents, such as the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB) and National Master Specification (NMS), already reference TIAC's national insulation standards.

TIAC is also working with North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) Canada to include energy efficiency standards in a future version of NBC.