How to sell more insulation fhis fall

THE USE of insulation in construction r today is an accepted fact by builders and consumers alike. However, there still exists some confusion about what "fully insulated" really means.

Many years ago, FHA established a minimum insulation standard for all new homes financed through their organization. That standard was It/Z inches in ceilings and nothing in sidewalls. Some builders today still use this as their t'standard" and promote their homes as "fully insulated."

Extensive in-use testing of insulation thickness by Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. has shown that this FHA standard is not adequate for today's needs. As the use of air conditioning increases and the square footage of homes gets larger, heating and cooling costs sky-rocket if proper insulation thicknesses are not used.

According to some manufacturers, 6inches of insulation in ceilings and 3-inches in sidewalls and floors is becoming the standard now and is a true measure of a 'ofully insulated" home.

Dealers are profiting today by informing their builder, remodeling and do-ityourself customers about the new standard and the advantages of full insulation.

For example, if a dealer sells I/2 inches of insulation for ceilings (FHA standard) at $50 per thousand sq. ft. in a 1500 sq. ft. home he will gross about $100. At a net profit of )0 percent, he will only pocket $10.

If the dealer converted this builder to 6- inches in the ceiling and 3-inches in the sidewalls, his sale would have increased to $345. At the same I0 percent net profit,

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Selling up builder and retail customers to use more insulation means more profits for the dealer . sales guide for countermen tells you how to increase those sales, what to say and do.

this dealer would have now earned $34.50 or a gain of $24.50 with little additional efiort.

The key to increasing profits on insulation is selling comfort and fuel savings. Materials are available from manufacturers which vividly illustrate how a home can be made more comfortable, both summer and winter, when fully insulated. These materials also can be used to show how full insulation reduces cosls for heating and cooling.

The counterman is most important to the successful sale of upgraded insulation thickness. He should be thoroughly instructed on the advantages of the 6-inch and 3-inch insulation standard. No matter who the customer may be, the counterman should immediately be able to explain full insulation.

The cost savings story is easily explained by using a "Heating and Cooling Estimating Guide." This guide works like a slide rule and provides a comparison of heating and cooling costs for a variety of home sizes between the FHA standard and the 6" and 3" standard. new what typical 1500 the savings

Let's go back to our sq. ft. home and see would be for the consumer. Let's also assume this home is located in Spokane, Wash.

With just 3-inches of insulation in this home, the owner could pay $241 for heating and $63 for cooling per year. If this home were insulated with 6" and 3", the heating bill would be approximately $152 and cooling would cost about $52. This is a total yearly savings of approximately $100 to the homeowner.

If the builder bought 6" and. 3" instead of just 3" for the ceiling, the total additional cost would have been $205. In just two years, the homeowner would have paid the difierence in cost and then could be realizing as much as $I00 cost savings year after year as long as the house is in existence. The builder also benefits by reinforcing his reputation as a ooquality builder" and may additionally save on cost of heating and cooling equipment because of fewer BTU's and tonnage requirements as a result of thicker insulation.

According to a national study conducted by Owens-Corning among single-family homeowners, actual heating and cooling costs of those lived-in homes measured against estirnated costs if those homes had only FHA minimum insulation standards showed an average cost savings of $76 to the homeowner.