Insulation Stocks

Why It Matters

Buildings account for one-third of all energy use.

According to the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, construction and buildings account for about 35% of energy use and 38% of total CO2 emissions worldwide. Much of this energy is used to heat and cool buildings, but between 25-60% of it is wasted through air filtration, or heat escaping from warmer areas to cooler areas.

Better insulation can bring down energy waste.

Better insulation of building envelopes can prevent that escaping heat. Insulation is the use of high levels of improved materials in buildings that resist heat flow and regulate indoor temperatures.

A perfectly insulated building would have insulation material on all sides, from the bottom floor, exterior walls, to the roof. Insulation should also be continuous, sealing gaps and cracks to optimize thermal resistance. 

Insulation is one of the cheapest and most practical ways of making buildings more energy efficient. New buildings can be built with the most thermal resistant insulation, and old buildings that are often not well-insulated can be retrofitted with them relatively easily. This also means lower utility bills, keeping out moisture, improving air quality and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use. 

If all residential and commercial buildings in temperate and tropical regions install insulation (made with low-carbon materials and processes), we can save between 17-19 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

These companies are making it happen.

The Climate Index includes the insulation companies that are making it happen. We find all the insulation companies whose stocks are traded on US stock markets, take out penny stocks (those that were traded at less than $0.50 in our last update), and weed out the ones that make more revenue from fossil fuel-dependent business than from insulation. 

If you are a Carbon Collective member, you own all of these companies through the Climate Index.