On May 16, 2012, Republican U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo of Illinois, speaking on the House floor in support of energy efficient buildings, the money they can save and the manufacturing jobs that energy efficiency initiatives can create, encouraged his colleagues to consider supporting HR 2866, the “Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2011.”

Meanwhile, an article in a recent Insulation Outlook, the magazine of the National Insulation Association, examines the “many opportunities” that exist for energy savings in institutional buildings that use district heating systems.

The article notes that typically, “there are many heat distribution pipe components left either uninsulated or partially insulated. If you can walk into a mechanical or boiler room and see bare steel on operational heat distribution pipe and equipment components, then thermal energy is being wasted.”

As the Insulation Professionals of Ohio constantly and consistently maintain in its messages, the article states: “This thermal energy waste can be corrected simply by insulating those bare components.”

Manzullo said HR 2866 is a common sense bill that will save money, improve facility operations, put people to work, and help our buildings perform to a higher standard.

To view Manzullo’s speech, click here.

Similarly, the Insulation Outlook article sites a study that found insulating these components has been predicted to comprise 8 percent of buildings’ total fuel use for heating. “Payback periods of less than 1 year, and even as short as several months, are common when insulating these previously bare components,” the study found.

Click here to read the article: Saving Energy by Insulating Pipe Components on Steam and Hot Water Distribution Systems

As the article concludes, IPO also recommends that mechanical designers and facility owners/operators survey their mechanical rooms and boiler rooms for bare pipe components and equipment. Just as the study’s author states, IPO recommends using removable/reusable insulation blankets for these components.

As Manzullo touched upon, one of the easiest, most cost effective ways to improve building performance is to ensure that mechanical insulation systems are properly installed. Improved insulation for piping and mechanical components in commercial and industrial settings will help business save more than $4.8 billion a year, according to the National Insulation Association. These improvements will also save resources to the tune of more than 82 million barrels of oil, or 19 million tons of coal.