An interesting dynamic in
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2025 8:11 am
The United States experienced 113,500 nonresidential structure fires (the latest year for which data on this are available), resulting in 80 civilian deaths and $3.1 billion in property damage. The same year, the country’s commercial buildings consumed approximately $144.8 billion in electricity. Building professionals face the multi-faceted challenge of minimizing all these figures for their clients.
U.S. building codes is the dual requirement for the building envelope to both be energy-efficient and help protect life and property against fire. These two needs intersect clearly in wall-assembly requirements. On one hand, American rcs data Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-rise Residential Buildings, and the International Energy Conservation C
ode (IECC) require continuous insulation (CI); on the other, rigid-foam insulations commonly used to provide CI must also meet fire-safety requirements. Specifically, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 285, Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Non-loadbearing Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components, requires rigorous testing of foam-plastic insulation within wall assemblies.
U.S. building codes is the dual requirement for the building envelope to both be energy-efficient and help protect life and property against fire. These two needs intersect clearly in wall-assembly requirements. On one hand, American rcs data Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-rise Residential Buildings, and the International Energy Conservation C
ode (IECC) require continuous insulation (CI); on the other, rigid-foam insulations commonly used to provide CI must also meet fire-safety requirements. Specifically, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 285, Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Non-loadbearing Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components, requires rigorous testing of foam-plastic insulation within wall assemblies.