Stand Out Success: InsulStar® helps Homeway Homes strengthen its market share

Problem

As a company, how do you stand out in a crowd? That is the question Brian Schieler asked when he decided (along with his brothers Rich and Ted) to start a modular home manufacturing company, Homeway Homes. As the modular home market has grown in the last decade, the number of companies producing these dwellings has also increased. Homeway needed to find a way to separate itself from the pack and have an edge on the competition.

Solution

Having grown up in the home construction business, Schieler was familiar with the latest trends and developments in the industry, including spray foam insulation. “Before we started our business, we had limited experience with closed cell foam. But even with the little experience we had, we knew the great advantage of the R-value per inch and the structural integrity it gives a house. When we were developing the structural system of our modular homes we realized there was no better of a fit than to use spray foam insulation.”

He chose to use NCFI Polyurethanes’ InsulStar® spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation because he knew that it was most energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, closed-cell spray-in-place polyurethane foam insulation system available. InsulStar offered many advantages: it is code-supported, warranted for the life of the home, and will not settle, shrink or deteriorate. What’s more, it will maintain its R-value and sound reduction qualities within close tolerance over the life of the home. Finally, InsulStar's high R-value per inch allows designers to reduce the depth of exterior walls and still obtain the desired level of energy efficiency, which means more living space is available to the homeowner. Taken together, all these factors made InsulStar the obvious choice. To make their offering even more unique, Schieler decided to re-brand the product under their own name – Energy Strength. According has used Energy Strength spray foam insulation from the first day we started production. We do not even offer any other type of insulation in our homes.”

Results

Using InsulStar/Energy Strength gives Homeway Homes several key advantages, according to Schieler. “Because of InsulStar’s high R-value, we can build our homes with 2x4 exterior wall construction instead of 2x6 and still achieve an R 19. We use 4'' in the ceilings also for an R 28. It also makes our homes quieter by reducing the noise of outside wind and traffic. Everyone wants their hoes as quiet as they can be. Energy Strength is a way to do that and we tell that to our customers. Mold is a huge legal issue in the homebuilding industry today. The fact that Energy Strength is mold resistant is another great selling point that we can promote where other manufacturers and stick home builders can't. 

What’s more, using spray foam insulation has also reduced their building costs. Schieler explains it this way: “Modular homes are susceptible to stress cracking during transport and setting. Most of the time drywall repairs can be in the thousands of dollars. With Energy Strength we have reduced drywall repair bills to a few hundred dollars. This has been a huge cost and labor saving advantage to our Authorized Builders. This structural aspect of Energy Strength lowers the costs of our homes to the builder vs. homes from other modular manufacturers. Another aspect that saves time and money is that our builders on site can walk on our ceilings when they are doing work in the attic when they are raising the roof sections.  This saves them time by not having to be so careful not to step through the ceiling. They also don't have to worry about dropping a hammer or tools on the ceiling because they know it won't damage the drywall ceiling inside. We are constantly telling the story of its structural strength by using the National Association of home Builders testing results by concluding that the Energy Strength foam gives twice the racking strength to a wall vs. the same wall with regular fiberglass insulation."

Finally, using InsulStar/Energy Strength simplifies the manufacturing process. “As a manufacturer of modular homes, we of course build our homes in a controlled environment. This means we have all of our foam spraying equipment and materials strategically placed in our factory so we can apply our Energy Strength foam in the most efficient manner. Our Energy Strength comes to us in 250 gallon recycled totes instead of 55 gallon barrels that have to be handled and disposed of. When compared to contractors who spray foam at the job site, they have to transport their equipment and materials to the job every day and then put it all back when the job is finished. We do not have to deal with the temperature changes or jobsite conditions as the other spray foam applicators do either. In other words everything is always in the right place at the right time under the best conditions. Our costs are comparably lower to spray Energy Strength foam than our competition can do it on site. This is a bonus for our customers because now an Energy Strength foamed house becomes affordable.”

As a way to set Homeway Homes apart from the competition, Schieler says InsulStar/Energy Strength has definitely succeeded. “Energy Strength is our hallmark and our biggest selling point. We promote it to the max. All of our customers give favorable comments regarding the benefits of foam especially with today's soaring energy prices. We have had a number of customers who bought our homes specifically because we use Energy Strength. Energy Strength sets us apart from all of our competition and we have seen the results in increased sales. We are very happy we made the choice to use Energy Strength spray foam insulation and we are glad to be a part of the NCFI team who supplies not just a great foam product but gives us technical and sales support.”

About InsulStar®

InsulStar is a high density, closed-cell spray foam insulation from NCFI Polyurethanes. It is a two-part liquid system that is sprayed in place and quickly expands to fill all gaps and voids. It then cures to form a fully adhered, solid, monolithic insulation envelope. The resulting insulation barrier offers many benefits that default insulation systems cannot claim. 

Efficiency. InsulStar’s R-value is about R 6 per inch, compared to fiberglass batt at R 3.5. Its ability to stop air infiltration and eliminate convective looping saves the homeowner an estimated 40% on energy bills. 

Structural Rigidity. InsulStar also adds structural rigidity to the home. In a test conducted by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, it was concluded that a 2x4 wall sprayed with polyurethane foam insulation had two times the racking strength of a wall filled with fiberglass batt insulation. 

Green. In addition to its dramatic energy savings, InsulStar is formulated with renewable agricultural resources and uses a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly blowing agent with zero ODP. NCFI Polyurethanes was awarded the 2004 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award, an international award from the EPA for their work in developing environmentally friendly SPF systems. 

Comfort. The closed-cell, fully adhered structure of InsulStar forms a low-permeance air seal that blocks air infiltration, noise pollution and water vapor movement. In most cases, the need for additional air barriers and vapor barriers is eliminated. By controlling water vapor, condensation will not occur, thus eliminating the moisture to support mold growth. Additionally, InsulStar is blended with an anti-microbial agent to inhibit mold, mildew and bacterial growth.

Technical

InsulStar is a nominal 2.0 lb/cu ft density, closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) that provides higher R-value per unit thickness than can be achieved with default insulation systems. SPF is produced from two specially formulated liquid components, which are precisely metered, heated, and pumped through pressure hoses to a mixing nozzle. The composite liquids are sprayed onto the surfaces to be insulated where it reacts, expands and cures to form a fully-adhered, seamless, structural, solid insulating blanket.

About NCFI

From the carpet you walk on, to the warmth of your home in winter, to the sofa you and your family watch television on, NCFI Polyurethanes has been working hard since 1963 to make your world a more comfortable, secure, affordable place to be. In fact, our products touch millions of lives each day – we’re the company responsible for so much of the comfort, safety, and convenience that you take for granted. But even if you aren’t aware of us, rest assured that we’re very aware of you, and we’re constantly working to make life easier and better for you and your family.