The drive for energy efficiency is changing the landscape of continuous panel production. These materials heavily impact building stock’s overall energy efficiency and sustainability by reducing energy loss.
February 6, 2025
The EU’s plan, called REPowerEU, “will help us to save more energy to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuel and most importantly to kickstart investments on a new scale.”
– Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Current concerns over energy efficiency are reflected in the changing landscape of continuous panel production. These materials have a large impact on improving building stock’s overall energy efficiency and sustainability by reducing energy loss while also, by necessity, offering maximum fire resistance to improve safety. Inside and outside of the European Union, laws and regulations are changing, with those changes being reflected in the market.
The European market and beyond
Legislative initiatives, like the REPowerEU plan introduced in 2022, focus on boosting energy performance as a way of not only bringing European buildings — 35% of EU buildings are 50+ years old while nearly 75% of building stock is energy inefficient — into the 21st century. The plan has the added consequence of lessening the reliance on imported fossil fuels. This path, according to the EU’s plan, which extends into 2040, is the fastest and simplest way to begin confronting the ongoing energy crisis.
The EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) was first introduced in 2010, revised in 2018 and updated again in December of 2023. This directive is aimed largely at residential buildings and those buildings with the lowest energy efficiency rating, while subjecting non-residential building stock to minimum energy performance standards. Together, the EU believes that these changes will improve peoples’ overall quality of life, at home and at work, and also serve to lower their energy bills.
Thanks to the previously mentioned legislation and the EPBD the market for these continuous panels, with excellent levels of energy efficiency and fire resistance, is expanding in the EU. Outside of Europe, North America and China are the largest consumers of continuous panels while the APAC region remains the fastest growing market for foam technology thanks to its economic growth and heavy investment across a wide range of relevant industries.
Put out the fire before it spreads
Fire retardancy is also a major concern. Panels used as building materials, and foams for commercial or domestic purposes more generally, must possess a high degree of fire resistance to prevent fires from spreading should they occur. Among foam formulations, it is worth mentioning phenolic foam (PF) for its unique performance, having little to zero flame spread, low smoke emissions and minimal toxic gas emissions.
Reusing the unusable
One topic not explicitly encountered is the question of recyclability for the various PUR sandwich panels, polyisocyanurate (PIR) and phenolic boards used in construction. While this subject is connected to the idea of a sustainable product, few of these panels can be recycled in a meaningful way, and this is where Cannon’s innovation comes into play. We are patenting new technology that uses recycled polyurethane powder, derived from those boards, taking advantage of our proven Solimix and Solistream solutions for solid fillers.
