Article points out the benefits of using polyiso versus extruded polystyrene insulation.

In a recent article by Jonathan Fahey of Forbes, he says about insulation choices:

"Substituting extruded polystyrene with insulation made with polyisocyanurate reduces the greenhouse-gas payback from 65 years to just 2.7 years. Now that's green."

Here is an excerpt from that article:

Your home's hidden environmental horrors

Many appliances and materials in your home drain resources in ways that are hidden in plain sight.

By Jonathan Fahey

There's not a wind, breeze or draft that can get past Tedd Benson, a New Hampshire-based builder who specializes in energy-efficient homes.

Until recently, one way he would keep out the chilly New England air was by wrapping houses with 4-inch-thick extruded polystyrene, an insulation sold under brand names such as Dow Chemical Styrofoam and Owens Corning Foamular.

It turns out, though, that these materials contain a particular type of hydrofluorocarbon that is 1,430 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

It would take 65 years of greenhouse gases saved by this insulation to offset the damage this hydrofluorocarbon does, says Alex Wilson, author of the book "Your Green Home" and founder of BuildingGreen, an organization that provides green design information.

"A lot of people that care a lot about the environment are using a lot of insulation in their buildings, for the right reasons," Wilson says. "But by using a couple of types of insulation, they are defeating their efforts."

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