Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) Market

The high rate of urbanization of Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East is leading to massive residential, commercial, and infrastructure building, which has caused a rapid increase in the demand for exterior insulation and finish system. The growing construction activity is demanding more solutions to the facade that provide an energy-efficient approach, design flexibility, and adherence to changing building codes. The exterior insulation and finish system is able to optimize space in high density urban centers with thin wall assemblies with high thermal performance. Simultaneously, an increase in the amounts of public investment in infrastructure, renovation and retrofit projects, specifically in North America and Europe, is strengthening the demand as governments are more focused on energy efficient and sustainable building envelopes.

The installation process of the exterior insulation and finish system is a multi-phase and complicated task, which has to be properly executed in substrate preparation, insulation installation, moisture control, and finishing. The slightest mistake in the installation can lead to moisture ingress, cracks, or long-term damage to the facade. Hence, the performance of the systems is extremely reliant on the skill and professionalism of the installers. The shortage of trained and certified installers in most regions, high turnover, and longer installation periods to install are some of the major obstacles. These difficulties have helped to make exterior insulation and finish system uptake in certain markets cautious, even though exterior insulation and finish system has good thermal efficiency and design benefits.

The development of materials and smart technologies is changing exterior insulation and finish systems to highly-performing and intelligent exterior building envelope solutions. To help users sustain prolonged life and performance of systems, manufacturers are incorporating resistant finishes, increased fire-and moisture-resistant finishes, and self-cleaning finishes. The innovations correspond to the increased energy codes, sustainability goals, and the increased need for smart buildings, net-zero buildings, and high-performance buildings.

The lack of knowledge about exterior insulation and finish systems among consumers and building professionals is also one of the major obstacles in the market. In other situations, constructions do not comply with insulation requirements because of the lack of knowledge of performance requirements depending on climate and location. Such ignorance by architects, developers, and code officials usually leads to poor insulation among these people, especially in commercial buildings. Therefore, the lack of awareness remains an obstacle to the widespread adoption of exterior insulation and finish systems even after it has been shown to have positive performance effects.