Abstract
Insulating and air sealing are effective ways to reduce the carbon footprints of homes and other buildings, and rigid foam panels are a popular material for doing that work. But many of the panels have a little-known climate cost: the global warming potential (GWP) of the gas, or blowing agent, used to puff the foam. In the case of panels made of extruded polystyrene (XPS)—a closed-cell foam suitable for wet or dry conditions—that gas has been hydrofluorocarbon-134a (HFC-134a). HFC-134a is a good blowing agent , but it has a GWP of 1,430, meaning it traps 1,430 times as much heat as carbon dioxide does over 100 years. As regulations seeking to eliminate HFC-134a take effect this year in Canada and the US, panel makers including Owens Corning and DuPont are switching their blowing agents to blends containing hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs). Refrigeration is the largest use for HFCs and other fluorocarbon gases,
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