Join Seal and Insulate ENERGY STAR Program

for Residential Insulation Manufacturers

To become an insulation manufacturer partner:

1. Determine Partnership Eligibility:

ENERGY STAR requires manufacturers (brand owners) that sell products as ENERGY STAR in the U.S. to enter into a manufacturing partner agreement with the EPA. Partnership is not available to insulation brand owners that do not manufacture the insulation component of an end use product, nor original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that do not sell directly to consumers.

See the ENERGY STAR Partnership Commitments and Definitions and Testing Requirements Version 1.0 (Rev. Mar-2013) (PDF) (99 KB) for information about included product types, test requirements, criteria, and partner commitments.

NOTE to Residential Insulation Installers and Contractors – Contractors are not eligible for partnership under the Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR program, but may be eligible to participate in a local Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program.

NOTE to Air Sealing Product Manufacturers – Air sealing products whose main purpose is to reduce air leaks or ensure that homes have a high-performance air barrier are outside the scope of the Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR program.

2. Email the Following Information to EPA:

We want to review with you whether your product(s) meet the basic eligibility criteria and also have documentation for marketing and performance claims made about the product(s).

We also want to work with you to properly group together products sharing similar characteristics, chemical properties, and/or physical properties. For example, spray foam products that have the same chemical composition of fiberglass products that use the same basic material to provide R-value. Doing this should reduce the number of reports needed, as well as reduce the expense of the certification process.

Please send an email to insulation@energystar.gov explaining your intent to join the program including the following information:

Company name
Point(s) of contact for initial communication
Company website
Name(s) of product(s) you intend to certify
Website(s) of the product(s) you intend to certify (if no website, provide current marketing materials)
Bulleted list of areas in the home where each product is applicable
Link(s) to applicable installation instructions (if available)
Link(s) to existing spec or sell sheet detailing thermal performance data.

EPA will conduct a preliminary product review based on the provided information and will reach out to the point of contact with any concerns we have that might prevent certification. If there are no potential concerns, we will request that you download and complete a Partnership Agreement and Participation Form (see Step 3).

3. Submit the ENERGY STAR Partnership Agreement and ENERGY STAR Participation Form Product Brand Owner:

Once you have reviewed the Agreement, fill out the fields on page 1. Sign the Partnership Agreement by checking the authorization box, entering the date of signature, and entering the contact information of the signatory on page 3.

Check off the appropriate box(es) on the Participation Form to indicate the product category/categories for which you intend to sell ENERGY STAR certified products. (Category: Home Building Envelope Products, Program Area: Residential Insulation Products)

Fill out the contact information for your organization’s ENERGY STAR partnership on page 2. All contacts listed on this page will receive ENERGY STAR correspondence for the appropriate product category(ies). The primary contact will serve as the main contact for the organization’s ENERGY STAR Partnership. If this page is left intentionally blank, the responsible agent listed in the Partnership Agreement will serve as the primary contact.

Return the completed forms to insulation@energystar.gov and join@energystar.gov. If you are already an ENERGY STAR partner and wish to expand your partnership with ENERGY STAR, please contact join@energystar.gov.

4. Applicant status is granted and it is now time to get product line(s) tested and third-party certified:

Once the Partnership Agreement (PA) has been approved, the manufacturer will be granted Active Applicant status. Each Applicant is given 1 year to get at least one product line through the certification process.

Applicants should select and contact an EPA-recognized third-party insulation certification body (CB) and submit the requested test data on their residential insulation product line(s) for evaluation. The testing must be done by an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. If the manufacturer does not have data that meets this requirement, they can contact their CB to help them find a test lab that meets the requirements.

The CB will also request product installation instructions and diagrams (or illustration or pictures) on how to install the product.

The CB will issue an ENERGY STAR product certification report for each group of certified products of a similar type. If a manufacturer has a product report (code report) less than 3 years old that meets the ENERGY STAR report requirements, it may be used to comply with these requirements.

5. Active Partner status is granted!

Once EPA reviews and approves the first ENERGY STAR product certification report, and this information is posted online, the product will appear on the list of certified insulation products, the manufacturer will be notified that they are an Active Partner and will be granted access to the Partner Mark, the Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR Educational Mark, and the Insulation Educational Mark through a My ENERGY STAR Account (MESA).

6. Stay informed:

Find program resources and archived documents for the Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR Program on the Program Enhancement and Development Page.

If you have any general inquiries or if you would like to receive program updates, please send an email to insulation@energystar.gov or Doug Anderson, EPA Seal and Insulate Program Manager, at anderson.doug@epa.gov.