Skip to content
XPSA

XPSA

Contact Us
  • Home
  • Applications
    • XPS Applications
    • Residential Applications
      • XPS Residential Applications
      • Foundations
      • Residential Walls
      • Ceilings, Attics & Roofs
    • Commercial Applications
      • XPS Commercial Applications
      • Roofs
      • Commercial Walls
      • Below Grade
      • Water Proofing
      • Low Temperature Buildings
      • Re-Roofing
    • Other Applications
    • Direct to Deck
  • Benefits
    • XPS Benefits
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Moisture Resistance
    • Long Term Thermal Resistance
    • Sustainability and Lifecycle Analysis
    • Fire Safety
    • Green Building
  • Health & Safety
    • XPS Health & Safety
    • The Future of XPS Foam
  • Technical Information
    • XPS Technical Information
    • Building Codes
    • Standards
    • Physical Properties
    • Polystyrene vs. Styrene
    • Technical Bulletins
    • NFPA 285 & ASTM E119
  • News
    • XPSA News
    • News Archive
Main Menu
XPSA > Benefits > Green Building

Green Building

“Green Buildings” is a term frequently used in the building design and construction industry. Unfortunately, there is not a single definition so that all can agree as to what this means. Many organizations define the term—each a little differently—so that its definition has become as varied as the number of buildings claiming to be green.

All definitions seem to agree that “green” or “sustainable” buildings in some way serve to protect the environment so that today’s use of materials do not comprise tomorrow’s ability to exist. XPS insulation boards play an important role to achieving “green” or “sustainable” goals, regardless of how these terms may be defined.

As environmental concerns become a growing dynamic in building design and construction practices, it is important to consider how insulation plays an important role in a building’s “green” design and performance. The concept of environmentally-conscious building design (“green buildings”) has been incorporated into tools that measure environmental performance of buildings and building materials.

For instance, tools such as LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), strive to use design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the impact of materials and buildings on the environment and its inhabitants. LEED-certified buildings are rated based on a series of requirements and credits that are used to evaluate the sustainability of buildings in five focused areas:

  • Sustainable Sites
  • Water Efficiency
  • Energy & Atmosphere
  • Materials & Resources
  • Indoor Environmental Quality
  • Innovation and Design Process

For more information on LEED, click here.

Whether using LEED or other available “green” certification tools, such as ASHRAE 189.1, optimizing material selection is a key component in building “green.” XPS is an excellent environmentally-responsible alternative to other types of building insulation because XPS ranks well in most of the key attributes of a ‘green building material,’ including characteristics like recycled and/or recovered content, reusability/recyclability, durability, air quality and most importantly—energy efficiency.

“Green”buildings constructed with XPS insulation products address energy efficiency and moisture management with a single product—reducing the negative effects from thermal bridging and moisture absorption so that the energy-saving R-value is retained over the insulation’s useful life.

XPSA Headquarters

529 14th Street, N.W.
Suite 1280
Washington, DC 20045

Phone Number:
202.207.1113

About XPSA

The Extruded Polystyrene Foam Association (XPSA) is a trade association representing manufacturers of Extruded Polystyrene Foam (XPS) insulation products and the industry’s raw material suppliers. XPSA members collectively manufacture more than 95% of all XPS destined for use in the North American market. XPSA promotes the benefits that accrue to society from appropriate use of XPS foam insulation applications.

Copyright © The Extruded Polystyrene Foam Association