In order to advance the mechanical insulation industry and promote the materials used there within, the Mechanical Insulation Labor Management and Cooperative Trust (LMCT) conducts and works with contractors to perform energy audits, which determine the efficiency of mechanical insulation systems.
An energy audit is performed as a scientific analysis to prove the effectiveness and the efficiency of mechanical insulation systems. This eliminates many speculations about how well the insulation is performing by offering actual proven data from a computer program, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. These audits can be performed on existing or new systems to see if there is room to improve.
The NAIMA 3E Plus Program
These audits provide concrete data, which can be compared to the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) developed 3E Plus Program. This program rates insulation based on three categories:
- Environment
- Economics
- Energy
Conducting an energy audit can help building owners lower operating costs and improve their return on investment (ROI). Mechanical insulation systems are a cheap and effective method of increasing energy efficiency. After installing a new insulation system, the ROI will become apparent within a six-month to two-year window, depending on the size of the system.
Studies show 10 to 30 percent of mechanical insulation is either inadequate or missing from all buildings. This missing mechanical insulation increases operating costs through wasted energy. If 30 percent of insulation is missing, then almost three times more money is spent on operating costs, three times more energy is wasted and three times more greenhouse gas is emitted into the environment.
Insulation is the cheapest and the easiest technology to offer energy efficiency. The ROI for a small project will be found within six-months, while large scale projects and plants generally need about two-year years to recover the cost.
Use the graphic below to calculate your ROI and how much you may be losing due to inadequate or missing mechanical insulation.
