Industry News

SPFA would like to extend its condolences to the friends and family of Dick Fricklas. Dick was a researcher, author, journalist and educator who had a long and distinguished career in the roofing industry and who was a strong friend and advocate of the spray foam roofing industry. He will be missed by all who knew him.

"Dick Fricklas was a friend to the SPF roofing community. He included us in his RIEI courses, wrote articles about positives of our type of roofing system and continued with an open mind to new roofing systems vs. the bitumen based roofing systems that he worked with for several decades," says Jim Andersen. "I have never known Dick to say negatives about roofing unless it was totally deserved and needed saying. His reputation was top notch and he was always willing to help futher roofing education. I had worked with Dick on the SPF review of his latest roofing book as well as several articles he had written on SPF based roofing. He did not stop his involvement in recent years and continued to share his knowledge with everyone he came in contact with."

SPFA's Rick Duncan says, "It is with sadness I report that the roofing industry has lost a dear friend. Dick Fricklas, who many of you know, passed away in late July 2016. Dick was an advocate for the SPF industry and the greater low-slope roofing industry. He not only worked in the industry but gave back to it with his dedication to education and excellence through the NRCA and ASTM."

>> Register for the 2016 HPC New England Regional Home Performance Conference October 19-20
Source: homeperformance.org
Join industry leaders along with fellow weatherization professionals, home performance contracting businesses, program administrators, and others working in the residential energy efficiency industry for a cutting edge educational experience. Discover the latest in smart home technology, building science and technical updates, industry trends and more. Regular Registration ends Tuesday, September 20. Click the link for more details.

>> 2016 ICAA Convention 9/28 - 10/1 in Denver
Source: insulate.org
The Leading Edge is this year’s theme for the ICAA Convention & Trade Show. Our purpose is to provide clarity and a way forward in an increasingly complex insulation contracting environment. The ICAA Convention & Trade Show provides an opportunity to build relationships with manufacturers and suppliers from across the country who display the latest products and services.

>> Poor Renters Devote More of Their Income to Keeping the Lights On
Source: nextcity.org
Low-income, black, Latino and renter households all face a greater energy burden — the percentage of income spent on home energy bills — than the average family, according to a new study. Co-authored by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and The Energy Efficiency for All Coalition, the report looks at energy costs for households in the largest 48 U.S. cities.

>> Construction Employment Rebounds in July
Source: nrca.net
The U.S. construction industry rebounded strongly in July as the industry added 14,000 net new jobs, according to www.abc.org. The job gain comes after the construction sector lost a combined 27,000 jobs from April to June. The construction industry's unemployment rate inched lower in July by a tenth of a percentage point to reach 4.5 percent, the industry's lowest unemployment rate since October 2006.

>> Spray Polyurethane Foam and Photovoltaic Roofing Systems
Source: roofingmagazine.com
Spray polyurethane foam and photovoltaic systems are increasingly utilized together as a joint solution for energy savings. With the continued push toward sustainability and growing movements, like net-zero-energy construction, SPF and PV systems are a logical combined solution for the generation of renewable energy, the conservation of heating and cooling energy, and the elimination of the structure’s dependence on fossil-fuel-consuming electricity sources. Regardless of whether net-zero energy is the end goal, SPF and PV combined in roofing can be quite effective for many structures.

>> Canada Advances HFC Phase-Down
Source: reminetwork.com
Impending environmental regulations will push the Canadian and American real estate industries toward cooling and insulation options with lower global warming potential (GWP). This effort to mitigate a climate threat will also require heightened vigilance as flammable and/or more toxic replacements are introduced into buildings.