Covid Home Renovation Boom Boosting Near-Term Residential Insulation Demand

Global demand for residential insulation is forecast to rise 3.1% per year to $15.6 billion in 2024, according to a new Freedonia Group analysis. Despite weak homebuilding activity in many markets, demand growth will be supported by rising spending on home renovations –especially in the major US market, where home improvement activity has surged amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Key Trends Affecting the Global Residential Insulation Market

Going forward, global demand for residential insulation products will be driven by:

• increasingly stringent energy efficiency and fire safety policies throughout the world, which often call for greater use of insulation in homes
• advances in global housing starts and average housing sizes
• rising awareness of insulation’s role in energy efficiency, boosting homeowner interest in undertaking retrofit projects
• gains in the quality of the global housing stock as construction practices improve and call for more insulation usage
• increasingly stringent building codes throughout the world, which are more often calling for increased insulation usage
• rising use of continuous insulation – or air barriers – to prevent air leaks

The COVID-19 pandemic will restrict 2020 demand in the residential market, as economic declines have taken a toll on residential building construction. However, demand is expect to return to growth in 2021 as economies rebound, leading to gains through 2024.

Want to Learn More?

Global Residential Insulation is now available from The Freedonia Group. This study analyzes global demand for global residential insulation by market (new and retrofit single-family and multifamily) and material (foamed plastic, fiberglass, mineral wool, and other materials such as cellulose and reflective insulation). Historical data (2009, 2014, and 2019) and forecasts for 2024 and 2029 are presented for global residential demand in US dollars, metric tons, and in square meters R-1 value.