Biobased Window Foam

Summary

Biobased Window Foam

Window Frame Insulation: Bio-based Foam vs. Hollow Frame

Foams made from agricultural products that can be blown into hollow vinyl window frames.

Synopsis:

Bio-window foams help retain interior temperatures when they are injected into vinyl window frames. This reduces the energy consumption for heating and cooling. The product is claimed to improve the thermal efficiency of windows by three to eight percent more than window frames without foam and comes with excellent flame-retardant properties.

WFI Global makes a low density insulated foam that can be injected by window fabricators into vinyl and fiberglass window frame cavities (not between the glazing layers). Their product--U-Core+--is touted as improving window thermal performance by up to 8%. U-Core+ contains just over 19% bio-based content (polyol) and is certified by the USDA BioPreferred Program. This program is designed to provide new markets for farm commodities (Kavanaugh, 2014). Soy Seal, a line of soy-based insulating foams, is available in a spray can with this closed-cell foam used for sealing gaps and cracks. They can also be used in structural insulated panels.

It is unlikely that a bio-based window foam will provide heat-loss benefits over that obtained from using conventional polyurethane spray foam insulation. Spray foam for vinyl window use is not a retrofit technology; this is a feature that must be sprayed into hollow window frame components (head, sills etc) by the manufacturer. Bio-based window foams (and polyurethane foams) are also being advertised as an alternative to convention fiberglass and cellulose insulation used for residential attic and wall insulation as they provide both sealing against infiltration plus a high R-value.

Energy Savings: 5%

Energy Savings Rating: Not rated. What's this?

Level	Status	Description
1	Concept not validated	Claims of energy savings may not be credible due to lack of documentation or validation by unbiased experts.
2	Concept validated:	An unbiased expert has validated efficiency concepts through technical review and calculations based on engineering principles.
3	Limited assessment	An unbiased expert has measured technology characteristics and factors of energy use through one or more tests in typical applications with a clear baseline.
4	Extensive assessment	Additional testing in relevant applications and environments has increased knowledge of performance across a broad range of products, applications, and system conditions.
5	Comprehensive analysis	Results of lab and field tests have been used to develop methods for reliable prediction of performance across the range of intended applications.
6	Approved measure	Protocols for technology application are established and approved.

Details

Biobased Window Foam

Window Frame Insulation: Bio-based Foam vs. Hollow Frame

Foams made from agricultural products that can be blown into hollow vinyl window frames.

Item ID: 266

Sector: Residential, Commercial

Energy System: Building Envelope--Windows & Skylights

Synopsis:

Baseline Example:

Baseline Description: Code-compliant Double-pane vinyl Low-E window
Baseline Energy Use: 12.7 kWh per year per square foot of window area

Comments:

To estimate the electrical heat loss of a square foot of double-pane Argon-filled Low E glass in a window in a residence in the Northwest, we use the traditional heat-loss equation: H = U x A x HDDx24. In this case
U = 0.3 (vinyl/fiberglass, Argon fill, Low-E)
Typical HDD (heating degree days) in the Northwest is 6000

So heat loss (H) = 0.3 Btu/sf-deg F x 6000 DD/year x 24 hours/day = 43,200 Btu/year or 12.65 kWh/year given electrical resistance heating (i.e. baseboard heating).

There will be gains because of solar heat gain and supplemental heat (wood, etc.), and additional losses due to infiltration, and losses through the window, in the case of a forced air furnace, will be supplied by a furnace with some losses to the outside at the furnace and through the ducts. In an attempt to account for those differences, we make the simplifying assumption that these factors essentially cancel each other out, so we use the calculated value of 12.65 kWh/sf/yr.

Manufacturer's Energy Savings Claims:

Savings Range: From 3% to 8%

Comments:

Manufacturers claim that a bio-based foam can provide a 3% to 8% improvement in thermal performance over a vinyl window that has a hollow frame i.e. does not have foam injected into window cavities.

Best Estimate of Energy Savings:

"Typical" Savings: 5%
Low and High Energy Savings: 3% to 8%

Comments:

A 5% change in a windows U-value will reduce heat losses from (43,200 Btu/year) or 12.65 kWh/sf-year (assuming electrical resistance heating) to:

U = 0.3 (for double-pane, Argon-filled, Low-E window with hollow frame) to: U = 0.285

Heat loss per window is reduced to : 0.285 Btu/sf-deg F x 6000 DD/year x 24 hours/day = 41,040 Btu/year or 12.02 kWh/sf-year.

Note: the calculated energy savings are overestimated as electrical baseboard heating is assumed.

Energy Use of Emerging Technology:

12.1 kWh per square foot of window area per year What's this?

Energy Use of an Emerging Technology is based upon the following algorithm.

Baseline Energy Use - (Baseline Energy Use * Best Estimate of Energy Savings (either Typical savings OR the high range of savings.))

Technical Potential:
Units: square foot of window area
Potential number of units replaced by this technology: 51,462,145
Comments:

We can only count in the technical potential of those residential and multi-family homes currently heated by electric baseboard, forced air furnaces, and heat pumps. According to estimates in the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance's (NEEA's) 2011 Residential Building Stock Assessment (RBSA), 34.2% of single-family homes and 70.1% of manufactured homes in the Northwest are heated with electricity (Baylon, 2012 Pg53, Table 51). We make the simplifying assumption that electrically-heated homes are the same average size as each category of home with all heating sources, so to get an estimate of square footage, we multiply the total square footage of each type of home times the percentage of homes that are electrically heated in that category. According to the RBSA, the square footage of glazing is approximately 12% of the floor area. Also according to the RBSA, about 12% of glazing is single-pane. These residential units have the potential to capture the additional energy savings due to upgrading to double-pane vinyl-frame, Argon-filled windows with Low-E coatings and foam-filled frames instead of equivalent windows with hollow frames.

Square Footage of Single-Pane Glazing in Electrically-Heated Homes

Type Home	Homes	% Electric Heat	Electrically-Heated Homes	Avg. sf per Home	Total sf	% Glazing	sf Glazing	% Single-pane	sf Potential
SF	4,023,937	34.2%	1,376,186	2,006	2,760,630,027	12%	331,275,603	12%	39,753,072
MH	543,730	70.1%	381,155	1,280	487,878,054	12%	58,545,367	20%	11,709,073
Total	4,567,667		1,757,341		3,248,508,081		389,820,970		51,462,145

Source:(Baylon, 2012)

Regional Technical Potential:
0.03 TWh per year
4 aMW
What's this?

Regional Technical Potential of an Emerging Technology is calculated as follows:

Baseline Energy Use * Estimate of Energy Savings (either Typical savings OR the high range of savings) * Technical Potential (potential number of units replaced by the Emerging Technology)

First Cost:

Installed first cost per: square foot of window area

Comments:

TBD

Cost Effectiveness:

Simple payback, new construction (years): N/A

Simple payback, retrofit (years): N/A

What's this?

Cost Effectiveness is calculated using baseline energy use, best estimate of typical energy savings, and first cost. It does not account for factors such as impacts on O&M costs (which could be significant if product life is greatly extended) or savings of non-electric fuels such as natural gas. Actual overall cost effectiveness could be significantly different based on these other factors.

Reference and Citations:

Rahul Arora, 09/29/2010. ITW launches the First Biobased Window Foam
Green Technology

USDA, 12/01/2010. BioPreferred Designates Eight Additional Biobased Product Categories for Federal Procurement
BioPreferred e-News

Andy Ault, 01/01/2015. Do you recommend bio-based soy foam insulation?
U.S. Green Building Council's Green Home Guide

Catherine Kavanaugh, 12/18/2014. Soy-Based Product Improves Window Performance, Sustainability
Plastics News

Rank & Scores

Biobased Window Foam

There is no TAG available for this technology.