Commercial buildings include any facility that accepts the public or is used by a company for employees in a non-industrial or manufacturing setting. Mechanical insulation represents 1 to 2 percent of the total cost for a new commercial facility. Commercial facilities include office buildings, schools, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, casinos, sports arenas, libraries, and dormitories. Systems that often require insulation in commercial buildings include all HVAC systems; pipe, duct, and equipment; hot and cold domestic plumbing pipe and equipment; roof drain pipe; emergency generator exhaust systems; and kitchen hood exhaust ductwork.
In an industrial facility, insulation is required for systems that carry or store liquid, gas, air, or product in which the temperature of the substance being transferred or stored is impacted by the temperature of the ambient air. These systems must be insulated to maintain process temperatures for both cold and hot systems; to protect liquids from freezing; to provide burn protection for personnel from possible exposure to hot systems; and for sound attention.
Firestop is a fire protection system made of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall or floor assemblies. For penetrating cables, these can also be called as Multi Cable Transits (MCTs). Firestops are designed to restore the continuous fire-resistance of wall or floor assemblies, impeding the spread of fire by filling the openings in them with fire-resistant materials.