ISI is a building-performance company focused on educating builders & homeowners on the benefits of energy efficiency.

For homeowners, we teach them about the "home-system" and consult them on how to most cost-effectively use their home's efficiency.

For builders, we also educate them on the home-system, but go a step further to help them understand how to build homes more effectively.

During the past 50 years, building construction techniques and practices have changed. There are three main reasons for this:

1. More homeowners are concerned with comfort and safety.
2. Rising energy costs have created demands for energy efficiency.
3. Demands on natural resources have created higher costs for building materials.

As a result, new houses are built differently from older ones, and it has become increasingly important to apply the principles of building science to their construction.

The house can no longer be viewed as just a house; it must be understood as a complex and unitary system of interdependent subsystems — a concept known as the home-system.

Company History_____________________________________________

ISI Energy Savers (ISI) is a building performance company focused on providing Energy Efficiency Services (EES) to residential and commercial clients.  The company currently known as ISI used to do business as The Insulation Specialists, Inc. 

The Insulation Specialists, Inc. (ISI) was originally created as Cellulose Insulation and Sales towards the end of the 1960’s in Muncie, IN.  Jim Stringfield was the owner of Cellulose Insulation until sometime in the 80’s when it was sold to Elza Stephens. 

This new owner changed the name to The Insulation Specialist and held ownership for roughly ten years, until it was sold again to Craig and Cindy George, in 1998.  The company was incorporated as The Insulation Specialists, Inc.  After graduating from Indiana University's Kelly School of Business, Craig and Cindy's son, Eric, became manager in late 2004 and expanded the company's services to the  results-oriented insulation and weatherization company that we are today. Sadly for us, Eric has moved on to Louisville and now owns his own company, the Building Performance Group.  ISI is now managed by  Cindy George (business and financial matters) and David Clevenger (operations).  David brings years of experience as a crew member with our company as well as experience in construction with Tradesmen International.

Industry History______________________________________________

The conceptual techniques of this industry are quite old.  Ancient Egyptians knew the values of keeping foods cold or warm for extended periods, and the industry has evolved upon improving upon the basic principle of minimizing heat loss or preventing heat penetration.  There are only a few standard insulating materials used in today’s building practices.  The most common are: fiberglass, cellulose, rockwool, and Styrofoam spray. 

Asbestos and perlite were very popular materials in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, but exposure to both were both found to cause health problems to people, and are now viewed as unsafe.  Asbestos removal has become an increasingly important and profitable, but dangerous business for the few companies that offer this service.  

Fiberglass has also recently come under fire from health and safety agencies because of its carcinogenic attributes, and has recently been suspected as a possible link to leukemia in certain cases.  Although fiberglass remains the most widely used material, and the industry “standard” for wall insulation, it is not the most effective insulation material and is uncomfortable for installers to apply. 

Because of these reasons, ISI uses only Johns Manville fiberglass insulation, which does not contain formaldehydes, the main carcinogen that also cause the “itch” commonly experienced by installers.

Cellulose is the only material that has no known adverse health affects for the customer and the insulation installer.  It is made from recycled newspaper that has been chemically treated to be fire-retardant and mold and mildew resistant.  It is also much more effective at reducing heat loss and heat invasion than fiberglass or rockwool. 

Current Conditions____________________________________________

Our current business at ISI includes the services of weatherizing energy inefficient homes and insulating new commercial buildings and residential homes.  Our main insulation products are fiberglass batts for walls and blown-in cellulose for attics and “wall-seal” (cellulose mixed with water and sprayed into wall cavities).  In our attempt to offer a full weatherization service, we also remove older damaged, and/or inefficient insulation. 

Where used in attics, cellulose insulation is not only more effective but is also cheaper than fiberglass, and therefore is the only type of insulation we use in attics.  Although the fiberglass material is more expensive than cellulose per square foot, the labor expense for installing wall-spray makes the overall cost for wall-spray applications a little more expensive. 

Where the type of job warrants, we will also use blanket wrap.  This product is mainly used in warehouses and pole barns.  Blanket wrap is made of fiberglass material that is attached to one layer of vinyl wrapping. 

ISI also offers foam-spray insulation for many different applications.  Spraying banjoists, foundation walls, cathedral ceilings, and many other areas all increase the pressure and thermal boundaries of the home-system and can greatly enhance its effiiciency as a result.

Innovation__________________________________________________

We use the newest and most effective forms of insulation.  We also participate in the Home Builders Association, which keeps us in touch with builders’ concerns, such as mold and mildew.  We work with our suppliers to understand how new products are able to alleviate longstanding problems.  We use a cellulose product that has the chemical borate in it.  This type of cellulose is highly effective at preventing mold and mildew and will become more popular with time.

We also will try to understand the entire construction process, so that we can find new services to make the building process run more smoothly and to increase our participation in the creation of each new building.

Management Development_____________________________________

We begin every employee as a crewmember, unless they have the skills to become a salesman, marketer, accountant, financial or operations manager in the office.  The crewmembers that show promise will have the opportunity to receive training for new services and responsibilities.  These members will eventually become crew leaders, and then associate managers.  The ultimate goal of any crewmember at ISI is to become a Building Technician - certified independently by the Building Performance Institute in New York.