National Insulation Association

The National Insulation Association (NIA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing merit (open shop) and union contractors, distributors, laminators, fabricators, and manufacturers that provide thermal insulation, insulation accessories, and components to the commercial, mechanical, and industrial markets throughout the nation. Since 1953, the northern Virginia-based association has been the voice of the insulation industry and is dedicated to keeping the commercial and industrial insulation industry up-to-date on the latest industry trends and technologies.

The National Insulation Association recommends the use of a Certified Insulation Inspector and requests that its members add the following language to their product guideline specifications or installation guidelines. Together, we can improve the quality and professionalism of the insulation industry. 1.6 QUALITY ASSURANCE, C. Inspection & Verification, 1: The use of certified mechanical insulation inspectors who maintain current certification by the National Insulation Association, or other certified mechanical insulation certification association, is recommended throughout the project to inspect and verify the materials are and the total insulation system has been installed in accordance with the specifications.

NIA's Thermal Insulation Inspector Certification Program will educate participants on how to inspect and verify that the materials and the insulation system have been installed in accordance with the mechanical insulation specifications. To become a Certified Thermal Insulation Inspector, class participants must complete both levels of the 4-day course and receive a passing grade on the final examination at the end of each level. This certication program will educate you on mechanical insulation, how to verify that the insulation is being installed to the specication, and how to identify potential areas of concern during initial installation or ongoing operations.

The National Insulation Association represents the mechanical and specialty insulation industry. We do not represent the residential insulation industry and recommend that you contact one of the following organizations if you have questions about residential insulation.

As part of NIA's Foundation for Education, Training, and Industry Advancement, this survey is conduct every 2 years to measure the size of the insulation industry. Since the first survey was completed in 1997, the goal of the survey is to obtain valuable data regarding sales, market size, and growth for the U.S. commercial and industrial mechanical insulation market. The next survey will be conducted in the first quarter of 2019. In keeping with our membership, this survey only includes data on the commercial and industrial markets, not residential.

The National Insulation Association's (NIA's) Metal Building Insulation Laminator members provide up-to-date information on energy code compliance for pre-engineered metal building systems, the use ofNIA Certified Faced Insulation, and recommendations for metal building insulation assemblies and proper installation that comply with ASHRAE 90.1 and the Energy Codes. Pre-engineered metal buildings continue to dominate the 1- and 2-story commercial and industrial construction market, requiring materials that are engineered to keep pace with constantly evolving design concepts.

A properly designed and installed insulation system offers immediate and long-term benefits. Insulation protects your personnel, your equipment, your system, and your budget. A properly designed and installed insulation system immediately reduces the need for energy and results in significant savings. On hot pipes and surfaces, heat loss can be reduced by about 20 times. With delivered natural gas and fuel oil costs at $7 to $10 per million Btus, that adds up! A properly designed, insulated, and maintained system significantly reduces energy costs, which saves money and protects the environment.

NIA knows it can be difficult to find information on mechanical insulation so our members and staff have created and compiled the following resources. In order to help engineers, specifiers, and insulation contractors, NIA offers a number of free insulation technical resources. NIA's Technical Information Committee (TIC) reviews and updates these documents quarterly. If you are interested in submitting product information or contributing, you may want to consider joining the TIC. The Insulation Materials Specification Chart, created originally for the NIA's training programs, provides users with physical and material properties of various insulation materials as specified in ASTM Materials Specifications.