Manufacture of next generation insulation material commences

Following a successful pilot launch during 2014, Dow Building Solutions has announced the commercial roll-out of XENERGY, a brand new, flame retarded, XPS roof insulation product.

In a departure from the blue STYROFOAM boards that the company is widely known for, the XENERGY boards manufactured by Dow Building Solutions' King's Lynn production site will be steel grey in colour.

Dow, the inventor of STYROFOAM has developed XENERGY to achieve a significantly improved LAMBDA insulation performance and to deliver a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of less than five. Through combining a manufacturing process which uses CO2 as the blowing agent and adding infra-red blocking particles to scatter and reflect heat radiation within the foam board, LAMDA values have been increased by 11%.

Dow Building Solutions has decades of history in the construction industry, which began with the launch of STYROFOAM extruded polystyrene insulation in the 1940s, and there have been a number of key innovations since then. STYROFOAM-A products were the first XPS to be made in the UK with CO2 as the blowing agent.

XENERGY SL, the first XENERGY product available in the UK, is designed to offer highly moisture-resistant flat roof insulation at thinner thicknesses than conventional XPS alternatives. XENERGY SL offers 4mW thermal conductivity gains in various thicknesses (see attached datasheets).

Chris Gimson, head of commercial at Dow Building Solutions, said: "The UK is leading the way with the commercial roll-out of XENERGY, a product which has numerous benefits, including significantly improved thermal performance. It signifies a new era for the business and demonstrates our commitment to formulating and manufacturing the highest standard insulation materials.”