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The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA), the premiere 501(c)6 professional trade association and voice of the Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) insulation and roofing industry, participated in the 20th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo. The event was held across three rooms in the US House Rayburn building in Washington DC, two dedicated exhibit rooms and one dedicated to a variety of panel sessions that took place throughout the day. It brought over 40 exhibitors together representing the leading voices in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and net-zero energy for a day of celebration of the principles, efforts, plans and dedication to the energy generation and use in our future-United States.
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SPFA, along with several other building insulation trade associations, is participating in a workgroup led by UL Environments to update the Product Category Rule (PCR) for Building Envelope Thermal Insulation in North America. A PCR is an consensus guidance document used to develop Environmental Product Declarations for a specific class of products (in this case all building insulations).
We are seeking member volunteers (interested parties) to review this updated PCR during the next several months. Volunteers from all SPFA membership categories are encouraged to participate, as this document includes assessment of the environmental impacts of insulation from all phases of the product life-cycle, including the extraction and processing of raw materials, chemical blending, packaging, distribution, installation and disposal. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rick Duncan at rickduncan@sprayfoam.org.
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A task group within the SPFA Roofing Committee has completed the development of a new SPFA TechDoc for installation of SPF Roofing with roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) systems. This new document provides an introduction to PV technology, design considerations, service and maintenance, warranty questions, applicable codes and standards and an overview of mounting options. The self-flashing properties of SPF roofing systems, along with superior energy savings, make SPF an excellent choice as a roofing system for any type of roof-mounted PC system. Free copies of this new TechDoc are available here. For questions or comments about this document, please contact Rick Duncan, SPFA Technical Director at rickduncan@sprayfoam.org or call 703-222-4269.
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SPFA-127 SPF Roof Systems Maintenance Manual has been updated by a Roofing Committee task group. The reorganized document contains improved photos and updated guidance to help customers and contractors get the most out of their SPF roof system. SPF roofing contractors are encouraged to share this with their customers. Many thanks to the task group for working diligently over the past year to deliver this important update. The group was led by Robb Smith and included the following volunteers: Bruce Schenke, Roger Morrison, Jason Hoerter, Chris West, Jack Moore and Jim Andersen.
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The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA), the educational and technical voice of the Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) industry, released a statement opposing the recent proposal by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to designate Spray Polyurethane Foam products containing unreacted methylene diphenyl diisocyanates (MDI) as a listed Priority Product under the department’s controversial Safer Consumer Products Program.
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OSHA has released a new fact sheet explaining how the agency’s Confined Spaces in Construction standard affects common spaces in residential construction, such as attics, basements and crawl spaces. The fact sheet, developed after consultation with the National Association of Home Builders, and a detailed Frequently Asked Questions document, clarify some of the standard’s provisions and their application to residential construction work.
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Installing a new roof or repairing/replacing an existing roof can be significant expense for homeowners and business owners. In partnership with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, RICOWI (Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues) has published a new guidance document, developed by roofing experts, to help property owners, as well as inspectors, code officials, roofing consultants, roofing contractors and insurance professionals determine when roof replacement or repair is necessary.
The RICOWI Best Practice Roofing Guide is a web-based, free electronic resource. It can be easily accessed via the Internet by laptops, smartphones and tablets, and will be updated as more materials are provided by project partners, code changes are made, materials are enhanced or new materials are introduced, and as installation practices evolve and improve. The guide can be accessed here: https://disastersafety.org/ricowi-best-practices-guide/
The SPFA Roofing Committee formed a task group led by Roger Morrison to develop and review content related to spray foam roofing systems. SPF contractors can use this free guide to help with discussions with their customers. For more information contact Rick Duncan, SPFA Technical Director, at rickduncan@sprayfoam.org, or Bruce Schenke, SPFA Roofing Committee chair.
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With the busy convention and trade show season of the spring, it’s never too early to start planning your attendance at the Sprayfoam Show – SPFA’s Annual Convention and Expo! SPFA will be hosting the show for a growing and engaged number of attendees at the downtown Mobile, Alabama Convention Center, January 29 – February 1, 2018.
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The summer issue of SPRAYFOAM Professional has been mailed and emailed! If you didn't receive it in your inbox or mailbox and would like to be on our email list to receive the digital link, sign up here. Be sure to read this quarter's feature article, "West Roofing Systems Rehabs an Abandoned Steel Mill," which looks at West Roofing Systems, Inc.'s SPFA Award-winning rehabilitation and expansion of the Ferrolux Gibraltar Facility. Read all of this and more in the summer Issue of SPRAYFOAM Professional
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SPFA 2017 Membership Renewal Invoices have been sent. Members can renew their membership online in the member only section of sprayfoam.org or by clicking the link below. Any questions can be directed to Mickey Riesenberg at michele@sprayfoam.org. Your membership does so much to help the industry by supporting important initiatives like: *A growing tech services focus in SPFA *Research and development that drives the industry forward and opens new doors for you and your company *Increasing industry awareness and acceptance through more advanced marketing efforts *Building the infrastructure to support the national Professional Certification Program (PCP) and the recognition our certified professionals have earned *Developing the solid national network of SPF professionals necessary to drive future growth in the industry If you're in SPF, you're in SPFA! Join now or renew to discover the opportunities awaiting you as a team-member in this high-performance industry.
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The SPFA PCP Exam Prep Courses and Field Exam Schedule for Spray Foam 2018 has been announced!
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Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are required for RECERTIFICATION in the PCP when you’ve completed your 7th year as a certified individual in the SPFA Certification Program. The individuals who were certified first will need to recertify by December 31, 2019. Although that is far off with plenty of time to meet the CEU requirements, we encourage you to download and save this attached form and fill it in with courses you’ve taken since you entered the program. If you’ve attended one of the SPFA Foam-It-Right webinar series, be sure to list them. If you missed a webinar, you can listen to a recording of it (and still get CEU credit!). Go to the SPFA Member page on our website to access the webinars. If you aren’t a member, but you are enrolled in the PCP, you can also attend these webinars and access recordings, please contact Kelly Marcavage at kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org for details. For those who have attended SPFA convention since you’ve become certified, you can access a list of all the breakout sessions from previous conventions to help you remember the ones you attended. We have registration records indicating that you’ve attended the convention; however, this process is self-reporting so you’ll need to complete the form and submit when you’ve met the required number of CEU. In addition to these SPFA opportunities for CEUs, there are many other ways to earn them. See the attached CEU Declaration Form (F-222-130) for more details. It is easy to download form, fill in what you’ve done so far and just update it as you earn other CEUs. When you’ve met your requirement, please submit!
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In our quest to make the PCP more user friendly for Spanish speaking SPF Professionals, we have recently posted the following pages:
Certification Espanol
Roofing Certification Espanol
Insulation Certification Espanol
To locate these pages, simply go to www.sprayfoam.org/certification and click on the "Certification" tab. From the drop-down menu, you may select the page you would like to view. We also have the bilingual forms and Agreement posted. These are in the process of being updated to reflect the modifications to the program, but the best place to find all the forms you need is our website.
If you have any questions about the SPFA Professional Certification Program (PCP), please contact Kelly Marcavage at kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org.
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The committees comprising the SPFA PCP are working to continually improve the certification program. Just an hour before this print deadline, the Quality Assurance Program (QAP) Committee unanimously approved the recommendations of the Certification Scheme Committee (CSC), which would streamline the certification process and removing redundancy of requirements.
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 Our membership directory is going to print in June 2017. In order for your company’s accreditation or individual PCP Certification to be highlighted in the directory, you must meet all accreditation requirements! Like last year, each member company who employs SPF PCP Certified professionals will be identified (*) in the SPFA Membership Directory and Buyer’s Guide – but you MUST be current and certified in June 2017 to be listed. If you received your accreditation and certification credentials in 2017 with a deadline of December 31, 2017, then you are current and will be listed!
Please contact Kelly Marcavage to check your status at kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org.
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The PCP Forms have always been available in the Certification Handbooks and in Zip Files linked from the certification pages, but in our quest to continually improve the SPFA PCP, we now have the forms listed, in numerical order, with a quick link readily available on the Certification Homepage. Simply click bellow, scroll down and you’ll see the list. If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Marcavage – kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org
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The PCP Training Committee will be reviewing the SPFA PCP Study Guides. Working Groups will be formed for each Study Guide and your expertise would be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in assisting on this project, please email Kelly Marcavage, SPFA Certification Director, at kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org.
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We are looking at data showing that many folks have successfully completed some of the requirements needed to become SPFA PCP Certified; however, they haven’t submitted all the information needed to earn the distinguished SPFA PCP Certification. A Working Group is being formed to reach out to those who have begun, but not yet completed certification levels. We’d like to hear from you on what is stopping you from completing the requirements. This same group will also work on retaining and renewing those who are already certified and helping them get to the next level! We look forward to hearing from you. Please direct comments, concerns and questions to Kelly Marcavage at kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org
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In 2012, OSHA began a program to align the old Hazard Communications Standard (HCS) with the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ This new system to be implemented over the next several years, includes updated methods to communicate hazards on product labels and safety data sheets using an international standard.
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Accella Polyurethane Systems LLC ("Accella") renews their focus on Polyurethane Spray Foam and Roof Coating Systems; focusing on low slope and flat roof commercial coatings for new and restoration construction.
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SprayWorks Equipment Group has launched a new online store, complete with a fully responsive website to help with consistency between different devices and a fully searchable mobile view. In addition to the new store, SprayWorks is also offering special discounts to celebrate.
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Lapolla Industries, Inc. (OTCQX: LPAD), a global supplier and manufacturer of high performance, energy efficient building products, today introduced its all-new FOAM-LOK 400 Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation.
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Honeywell announced that Eric Gladson of Integrity Plus Insulation in Ogema, Wisconsin, is the Grand Prize winner of the "Hit a Foam Run" promotion. Gladson wins an all-expenses paid trip for two to the Professional Baseball Game of Stars in Miami, July 2017 ($7,000 estimated value).
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Firestone Building Products Company, LLC (Firestone) today announced its acquisition of Gaco Western (Gaco), a leader in innovative silicone roofing systems and provider of top-tier waterproofing and spray foam insulation.
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Tenex Capital Management is pleased to announce it has completed an investment transaction in SES Foam LLC of Houston, TX, effective on September 9, 2016.
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U.S. Government Affairs> Appropriations Update > U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Releases Comprehensive Energy Bill > 2017 National Energy Codes Conference: Bridges to the Future > DOE Public Meeting Announcement: Energy Conservation Standards for Dedicated Purpose Pool Pumps > DOE EERE Issues Data Collection Call for Refrigerators and Freezers > Federal Trade Commission Proposes Changes to Energy Labeling Rule GGAC Regional and Chapter Activities> Notice of Proposed Rule Change for Efficient Buildings Fund in Rhode Island > Commonwealth of Virginia Code Proposal Recognizes ASHRAE Standard 189.1 > Criminal Charges Brought Against Michigan Officials Over Flint Water Crisis > State Legislative Activity
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ASTM International has, under the leadership of SPFA’s Dr. Duncan, SPFA members and SPF industry professionals, announced the completion and approval of a new standard entitled Standard Practice for Installation of High-Pressure Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation for the Building Enclosure. This practice covers the installation of high-pressure spray polyurethane foam (SPF) as an insulation for building enclosure assemblies including: walls, ceilings, attics, floors and crawl spaces. This practice does not apply to SPF used strictly as a component for an air barrier system or for SPF used in roofing applications. The Standard can be purchased by ASTM here. If you have any questions please direct them to Dr. Duncan.
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See what's in store, as far as industry events, expos, training classes, online courses, certification programs and more.
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