Building codes set a minimum standard for the HVAC and sheet metal ductwork industries in determining what products to use and when to use them, but sheet metal workers still go above and beyond code every day in meeting the demands of their customers.

David Burd, air distribution products technical manager for North America at Owens Corning, said building codes set a baseline, minimum standard, but that certain cases may require contractors to solve for specific insulating challenges relevant to the environment where the insulation is installed.

“Within the code structure – whether that be the government, at the national level, the state level or the municipal level – when you look at it from the standpoint as a bare minimum, for energy efficiency, those codes don't take into account what is needed in a specific region for, say, condensation control, noise control, those types of things,” Burd said.

He references how historically, contractors would use R4-rated insulation on duct systems, even in humid and hot areas like Houston, Texas – creating condensation issues.

“Those are some of the things that you have to have to look at, in specific regions of the country to go sometimes above and beyond what code calls for,” Burd said.

The acoustical qualities of different types and sizes of duct insulation can compensate for the unique challenges of a given space, he added.

“When you go into a large auditorium or a church and it's very reverberant, that's not a space that you want to try to sit down and relax in acoustically. And so you want to take advantage of the acoustic properties of an insulation as a benefit to give you an environment in which you can relax, work and be productive in,” he said.

He said thermal properties of insulation are also factors.

“You want to try to ensure that the temperature of air that you're getting from your furnace, or from your air conditioner is what is actually making it into your room so that you're thermally comfortable as well,” Burd concluded.