Honeywell's Low-Global-Warming Material Insulates Net-Zero Energy Home Project At Purdue University

Project marks the first usage of Honeywell's Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent in a spray foam system for wall insulation

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Sep 12, 2014, 09:00 ET

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J., Sept. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that Solstice^® Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA), its ultra low-global-warming-potential foam blowing agent, has been used to help insulate a net-zero energy home project at Purdue University.

The blowing agent, which causes closed-cell spray foam insulation to expand and provides the majority of the foam's excellent insulating properties, was used to retrofit a residential home in West Lafayette, Ind. It marked the first application of the new blowing agent in spray foam wall insulation. Solstice LBA is already used to insulate high-efficiency refrigerators.

Whirlpool Corp. and Purdue University are transforming the 2,800 square-foot home, built in 1928, into a net-zero energy, water and waste structure that will house a world-class research laboratory. They selected Solstice LBA to increase the home's energy efficiency.

"Closed-cell spray foam insulation seals gaps, cracks and holes as it is applied, making it one of the most energy-efficient insulation products available today," said Laura Reinhard, global business manager for Honeywell's spray foam business. "Solstice LBA has 99.9 percent lower global warming potential than traditional hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) foam blowing agents, yet provides higher insulating performance than HFC blowing agents."

According to Lapolla Industries, the Houston-based company that manufactured the foam, spray foam systems formulated with Solstice LBA demonstrate about 8 to 10 percent better thermal performance compared to the systems formulated with HFC blowing agents. The spray foam installer on the project, ThermaSeal/Lakeside, a branch of Installed Building Products Company, also reported the additional benefit of a 10 percent higher foam yield compared with previous systems.

"We chose to partner with Honeywell because of the success we experienced using Solstice LBA in our refrigerator insulation," said Ron Voglewede, global sustainability lead at Whirlpool Corp. "Since we knew Solstice LBA is also used in spray foam insulation, we thought it would be a perfect fit." Whirlpool announced in January 2014 that all its U.S.-based refrigerator manufacturing would use Solstice LBA for insulation by the end of the year.

Use of Solstice LBA allows spray foam manufacturers such as Lapolla to cost-effectively meet current and future energy efficiency and environmental regulations. Solstice LBA is a next-generation blowing agent with a global warming potential of 1, significantly lower than previous-generation HFC blowing agents such as HFC-245fa, which has a global warming potential of 858. Solstice LBA is nonflammable, has received EPA approval under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program, and is VOC-exempt per EPA.

In addition to Solstice LBA, Honeywell's family of Solstice-branded products includes refrigerants for stationary refrigeration and air conditioning applications and automotive air conditioning, gaseous blowing agents, propellants, and solvents based on Honeywell's new hydrofluoro-olefin technology that helps customers lower their carbon footprint without sacrificing end-product performance.

The products have been developed and are being commercialized by Honeywell's Fluorine Products business, a leader in the manufacture and supply of non-ozone-depleting refrigerants used by top air-conditioning and refrigeration makers worldwide, and blowing agents for energy-efficient foam insulation, as well as hydrofluoric acid and precursors for nuclear fuel.

For more information on Solstice LBA, visit www.honeywell-solsticelba.com.

Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies is a global leader in developing and manufacturing advanced materials and process technologies. These materials and technologies are used by people every day in a wide range of industries and applications, from petroleum refining to environmentally friendlier refrigerants to bullet-resistant vests. Our advanced materials are critical in the manufacture of products ranging from nylon to computer chips to pharmaceutical packaging. Process technologies developed by our UOP business form the foundation for most of the world's refiners, efficiently producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and petrochemicals. UOP is now pioneering technology to produce real fuels from renewable energy sources.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.

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