FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2026
Contact: press@theibe.org
RALEIGH, NC – The Institute for the Building Envelope (IBE) and the Spray Foam Coalition (SFC) today applauded Gov. Josh Stein’s signing of North Carolina Senate Bill 445, legislation that modernizes the North Carolina Energy Conservation Code and gives builders greater flexibility to deliver energy-efficient, affordable homes. Both provisions championed by the industry take immediate effect.
SB 445 updates the state’s residential wall insulation requirements to recognize the performance of air-impermeable insulation, such as spray foam insulation. Under the new law, walls insulated with air-impermeable insulation meet code at R-13 in Climate Zones 3 and 4, and at R-15 in Climate Zone 5, without continuous insulation, provided the home achieves a blower door test result of less than 3.0 ACH50. The change allows builders to continue using standard 2×4 wall construction across most of North Carolina while meeting a higher standard of whole-home air tightness, without the extra material, labor and costs associated with compliance with the old rules.
The legislation also repairs the performance compliance path, aligning the North Carolina Energy Conservation Code with the national standard RESNET 301. Under the previous code, builders using the performance path were still required to meet the prescriptive path as a backstop, limiting the flexibility the performance path is designed to provide and adding costs.
“North Carolina just showed what smart, science-based code policy looks like,” said Doug Brady, Chair of the Spray Foam Coalition. “By recognizing what air-impermeable insulation actually delivers in the wall assembly and pairing it with a real air tightness requirement, the state gave builders a straightforward path to more efficient and potentially more affordable new homes. That is a win for builders, for contractors and for North Carolina families.”
“These changes align North Carolina’s code with modern building science and with how homes actually perform,” said Kevin Wiacek, Chair of the Institute for the Building Envelope. “Aligning the performance path with the nationally recognized standard removes an unnecessary barrier for builders who want to design to performance. We at IBE thank the legislature and the governor for moving policy that helps builders use innovative, multifunctional materials that increase energy efficiency and improve affordability.”
A high-performing building envelope is the foundation of an energy-efficient home. Air leakage is one of the largest sources of energy waste in residential construction, and insulation that both insulates and air seals, such as spray foam insulation, allows homes to hold conditioned air, reduce the load on heating and cooling equipment and lower monthly energy costs. By tying the new R-value pathway to a verified blower door result, SB 445 ensures those efficiency gains are measured rather than assumed.