Water-based insulation promises cleaner indoor air

The movement toward environmentally safe insulation products began in the 1970s, according to Tommy Gracy, co-owner of Building Performance Solu-tions Inc.

That was when investigators determined that urethane insulation was harmful to the environment and the ozone layer, Gracy said..

Gracy, his wife, RubyDell, and Herb Crum formed BPSI in January 2001 in Mountain Home, Ark., as a licensed dealer for the Canadian-based company, The Icynene Insulation System. According to Gracy, Icynene was invented by Canadian chemist Gabe Farkis, who worked for several years to develop a safer and more efficient insulation than other materials commonly in use in the building industry.

Icynene is sprayed as a water-based liquid between construction studs and expands to a dry, sponge-like consistency to fill cavities, forming a tight seal. It has no detectable emissions, Gracy added.

The product has been available in Canada for about 15 years, Gracy said, and in the United States for about 10 years. Until recently, Icynene has been popular mainly in the North and East. As more people learn about the product, he said, interest is spreading.

Gracy said reducing energy consumption is a big factor in the growth of the product. "Utility companies have pushed for more energy-efficient homes," he said.

The Gracys became convinced of the benefits of the product in 1998. Gracy, who had been in the design and building industry all of his adult life, had become concerned about the indoor air quality in his own home, due to health concerns. He had long searched for an insulation product to solve the moisture problems that can affect the structural integrity of homes and found Icynene to be mold-resistant and it reduces air leakage to an absolute minimum.

"Building has become a science," Gracy said. "You have to study how things go together for maximum health, comfort and enjoyment."

BPSI works with builders, architects and individuals. Its primary sales methods have been direct sales, mailers and the Internet. The company has a Web site at www.buildingperformancesoltions

.com. It has a direct link to the Icynene site at www.icynene.com.

BPSI has targeted northern Arkansas and southern Missouri as its market. Gracy said the product and equipment are portable, and need only a single truck to deliver installers and equipment to a job site.

Icynene adheres to metal as well as wood and can be used in commercial buildings and private homes, Gracy said. He added that in the East it has been used successfully in poultry houses and hog barns.

Crum, whose background is in business and management, supervises marketing and customer relations for the company. Years of experience in the business side of the health industry have made him aware of the health benefits of the product to homeowners, he said.

"The expertise Tommy has in construction assists in working with builders to show them the benefits of Icynene," Crum said.

Gracy said that some builders are looking for products that will make new homes more energy-efficient and improve air quality. He added that although the initial cost of Icynene may be more than conventional insulation, long-term savings compensate for any additional cost.

The savings in health benefits are not so easy to measure; however, according to BPSI, in homes with Icynene insulation, allergy and asthma sufferers have reported noticeable relief.

RubyDell Gracy, who does the bookkeeping and office work, said that all the employees share the various tasks involved and the same commitment to the product. Aside from the three principals, BPSI employs one salesperson and two installers.

The Gracys are long-time members of the National Home Builders Association and the Mountain Home chapter. They and Crum visited a recent HBA meeting in Springfield where they applied for membership and introduced Icynene to local HBA members.

More information about BPSI and Icynene can be found at the BPSI Web site.