Unitherm Insulation Systems

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Sustainability in Process Heating: What Manufacturers Need to Know in 2026

Sustainability has moved from a background consideration to a front-of-mind issue for manufacturers. Customers are asking about it. Regulators are requiring reporting on it. And the economic case for sustainable manufacturing practices is increasingly difficult to separate from the case for operational efficiency.

Sustainable manufacturing is the ability to continuously utilize resources to manufacture products and maintain the environment and our lifestyles indefinitely. Sustainability requires that our resources remain at their current levels or improve for future generations.

Why Process Heating Is Central to the Sustainability Conversation

Process heating accounts for roughly 61% of manufacturing on-site energy use in the U.S. It is also a significant source of combustion emissions — emissions are directly proportional to fuel consumption. Reducing energy use in process heating reduces the carbon footprint of manufacturing at scale.

The key sustainability metrics for manufacturing operations: volume of solid waste per unit of finished goods, energy input per unit of production, tons of carbon emissions per unit shipped, and gallons of waste water per unit shipped. Improving process heating efficiency directly improves the energy intensity and carbon emissions metrics.

The Role of Insulation in a Sustainability Program

Insulation is one of the most straightforward sustainability investments available to a manufacturing facility. Reducing surface heat loss reduces the energy input required per unit of production — directly improving energy intensity. And because emissions are tied to fuel use, less fuel means fewer emissions.

Insulation improvements that reduce energy use and emissions are a visible, documentable part of a sustainability program.

UniTherm’s removable and reusable insulation products support sustainability on two levels: they reduce energy consumption during use (lower heat loss = less fuel burned), and they’re reusable rather than disposable — which supports waste reduction goals. UniTherm’s products are engineered to last, reinstall cleanly, and be removed without generating waste. Visit unitherm.com to learn more.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

Source: U.S. DOE, Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (Third Edition), 2015.

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Making the Financial Case for Process Heating Efficiency Upgrades

Getting approval for efficiency improvements often requires more than an engineering argument. It requires a financial argument — one that connects the technical opportunity to the metrics that corporate decision-makers actually care about.

The most important thing to emphasize is that the corporate audience will respond more readily to a dollars-and-cents impact than to a discussion of energy use and efficiency ratios.

Start with Life-Cycle Cost Analysis

This approach captures the total costs and benefits of an investment over its service life — not just the upfront capital cost.

One of the key findings that often emerges from this analysis: for fuel-fired systems, fuel costs can represent as much as 90% or more of total life-cycle costs, while initial capital is only about 3% and maintenance about 1%. When fuel costs dominate the life-cycle picture, any measure that reduces fuel consumption — even a modest one — can produce significantly positive financial results.

The Simple Payback Calculation

For projects that produce consistent annual savings, simple payback is the most accessible starting point. It’s calculated as: Initial investment ÷ Annual benefit = Payback period in years.

For insulation improvements, the annual benefit is the reduction in annual fuel or energy costs resulting from reduced surface heat loss. The calculation requires an estimate of the current heat loss rate, the cost of the energy being lost, and the reduction in loss rate after the improvement is made.

Beyond Payback: Connecting Efficiency to Corporate Goals

Reduced fuel consumption lowers operational costs, which improves earnings. For publicly held companies, the sourcebook points out that improved earnings, multiplied by the price-to-earnings ratio, directly increases shareholder value.

Efficiency also reduces environmental compliance exposure: “Combustion emissions are directly related to fuel consumption. They rise and fall in tandem.” Better efficiency means lower emissions, which means reduced regulatory risk.

Worker safety and comfort are also legitimate benefits. Process heating system optimization yields safety and comfort benefits, in addition to fuel savings. Reduced surface temperatures from insulation improvements improve ambient conditions in work areas.

For removable insulation products, the financial case is often straightforward: the energy cost of an uninsulated surface running continuously at process temperatures can frequently justify the cost of the cover within months. UniTherm’s Energy Study Library documents results from real installations. Visit unitherm.com/media/energy-study-library.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

Source: U.S. DOE, Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (Third Edition), 2015.

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Preheating Combustion Air: A Proven Method for Reducing Fuel Use in Industrial Furnaces

For fuel-fired process heating systems operating at high temperatures, preheating combustion air is one of the most well-established and effective methods for reducing fuel consumption. The principle is simple: if the air entering the burner is already warm, less fuel is needed to achieve the required combustion temperature.

Combustion air preheating is the most commonly used method of waste heat recycling for high-temperature fuel-fired systems. It works by capturing heat from the hot exhaust gases and transferring it to the incoming combustion air — typically using a recuperator, regenerator, or heat pipe.

How the Savings Add Up

Combustion air represents a significant portion of the mass flowing through a furnace. Every degree of preheating reduces the fuel burden on the burner.

Depending on the system, exhaust gas temperature, and method of heat recycling, the sourcebook reports that it is possible to reduce energy intensity by 5% to 25% for heating systems. For systems with high exhaust temperatures, the upper range of that estimate is realistic.

When Preheating Is Most Applicable

For most fuel-based systems with relatively high exhaust temperatures — typically above 1,000°F — combustion air preheating is the natural first candidate for waste heat recycling. For processes using high volumes of air, such as drying ovens, preheating of makeup air or dilution air should also be considered.

For systems with lower exhaust temperatures or constrained configurations, other forms of waste heat management — including insulation improvements and load preheating — may offer better economics.

The Relationship to Insulation

It’s worth noting that combustion air preheating and insulation improvements are complementary, not competing. The sourcebook is explicit: tuning burners and improving insulation reduce the baseline energy consumption, which in turn reduces the magnitude of exhaust losses. Pursuing both together — reducing waste heat generation through insulation and recovering remaining exhaust heat through preheating — produces larger combined savings than either approach alone.

For exhaust systems and related components where heat management matters, UniTherm provides high-temperature insulation solutions for exhaust lines and associated hardware. Keeping exhaust temperature predictable and reducing incidental losses from exhaust piping supports the effectiveness of downstream heat recovery systems. Visit unitherm.com to learn more.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

Source: U.S. DOE, Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (Third Edition), 2015.

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What Is Waste Heat — And Can Your Facility Get Some of It Back?

Every industrial heating process produces waste heat. It’s unavoidable. The question is not whether it exists, but whether any of it can be put back to work.

Waste heat management covers three distinct activities: waste heat reduction, waste heat recycling, and waste heat recovery. Understanding the difference between these three is important for setting realistic expectations about what’s achievable.

The Three Categories

Waste heat reduction means reducing the generation of waste heat in the first place — through better insulation, tighter seals, lower exhaust temperatures, and reduced air infiltration. This is the category that overlaps directly with heat containment, and it’s generally the first step before pursuing recovery.

Waste heat recycling means using waste heat within the same system it came from. The most common example the sourcebook gives is preheating combustion air using heat recovered from the exhaust gases of the same burner. The sourcebook notes that this type of heat recycling can reduce energy use or energy intensity by as much as 25%.

Waste heat recovery means capturing waste heat from one process and using it in a different system — for example, using hot flue gases from a high-temperature process to generate steam or heat water for a lower-temperature process elsewhere in the facility. Payback periods typically ranging from one-half year to five years, with heat recovery of 10% to 75% of the available waste heat depending on the technology.

Where Waste Heat Comes From

The sourcebook provides a useful table of industrial waste heat sources and their temperature ranges. Furnace or heating system exhaust gases run between 600°F and 2,000°F. Gas turbine exhaust runs 900°F to 1,100°F. Hot surfaces — including uninsulated pipe and equipment surfaces — run between 150°F and 600°F. Even steam leaks and condensate return systems represent waste heat streams worth evaluating.

The Right Order of Operations

The sourcebook is explicit about the sequence: reduce waste heat first, then recycle it within the same system, then consider recovery to other systems. This matters because the economics of a heat recovery project depend on how much waste heat is actually available. Improving insulation and reducing air infiltration first may reduce the magnitude of the recovery opportunity — but it also reduces what the system has to generate in the first place, which is the better outcome.

Reducing hot surface losses through insulation is the first step in any waste heat management program. UniTherm’s removable insulation jackets, blankets, and covers help address heat loss from equipment surfaces, piping, and exhaust components — the foundational step before more complex recovery technologies are evaluated.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

Source: U.S. DOE, Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (Third Edition), 2015.

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Removable Pipe and Valve Insulation: Solving the Access Problem in Industrial Facilities

Every industrial facility has piping systems that carry hot fluids, steam, or gases. And most of those systems have lengths of pipe, valves, and flanges that are uninsulated — not because facility managers don’t understand the energy loss, but because traditional insulation creates a maintenance problem.

When you need to access a valve for inspection or repair, you have to remove whatever insulation is covering it. With hard insulation, that means cutting and disposing of material. The replacement costs time and money. Do it a few times and the insulation often just stays off.

Pipe and Component Insulation

The Department of Energy’s identifies poor insulation on piping and ductwork as a recognized source of energy loss. Surfaces such as piping and ductwork that have poor or no insulation are sources of energy loss that are “often overlooked” in process heating assessments.

This is common precisely because the losses are diffuse and continuous rather than dramatic. A valve loses heat quietly, hour after hour, day after day. The impact is real but easy to ignore.

What Removable Insulation Covers Actually Do

Removable insulation covers for valves, flanges, and pipe components are engineered to be installed and removed without tools or specialized labor. They’re typically made from high-temperature-rated materials, stitched or sealed to fit specific component configurations, and secured with straps, lacing, or fasteners that allow for quick removal.

The key advantage over traditional insulation is that the covers are designed from the start to be removed and reinstalled. The insulation material doesn’t get damaged in the process, so the cover remains effective after repeated use.

UniTherm’s IsoCovers are removable insulation covers for valves and flanges. They’re available in standard sizes through the UniTherm shop and can be custom-manufactured for non-standard component configurations. Visit unitherm.com/pipe-and-components for the full range, or contact UniTherm to discuss a custom solution for your system.

Industries That Use Them

Removable pipe and valve insulation is used in oil and gas, power generation, chemical processing, food processing, marine applications, and anywhere else that high-temperature piping systems require regular maintenance access. The ROI case is generally straightforward: the energy cost of an uninsulated valve running continuously at operating temperature is often large enough to recover the cost of the cover within a single heating season.

For facilities in cold climates, there’s an additional benefit: reducing surface heat loss can help maintain consistent process temperatures in areas where ambient conditions vary seasonally.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

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Insulating Plastics Processing Equipment: How to Really Cut Your Facility’s Costs.

Plastics processing equipment, injection molding machines, extruders, blow molding equipment — operate at sustained high temperatures. The heating zones along a barrel or nozzle are running continuously, and a significant portion of that heat radiates outward into the surrounding work area rather than staying in the process where it belongs.

This is a straightforward heat containment problem of the kind identified in the DOE’s process heating sourcebook, and it has a straightforward solution: insulating plastic processing equipment keeps the heat in the barrel and out of the shop floor.

What’s Actually Happening Without Insulation

An uninsulated barrel on a plastics processing machine loses heat through radiation and convection from its surface. The control system compensates by running the heaters longer or more frequently to maintain the set temperature. More heater activity means more energy consumed, more wear on heating elements, and a warmer ambient environment around the machine.

The DOE sourcebook notes that improving insulation on process heating equipment reduces the amount of energy needed to perform a given heating task, reduces thermal stress on system components, and can improve consistency and product quality. All three of those benefits apply to plastics processing equipment.

The Case for Removable Insulation on Barrels and Nozzles

Permanent insulation on a plastics processing barrel is impractical. Operators need access to heating zones for inspection, thermocouple replacement, and maintenance. Fixed insulation that has to be cut away and replaced every time someone needs to check a heater band is not a workable solution.

Removable insulation jackets address this directly. They’re designed to fit specific equipment configurations, attach securely during production, and come off quickly when access is needed. The insulation itself is protected from damage during removal, so it can be reinstalled and reused.

UniTherm’s UniVest® insulation jackets are designed specifically for plastics processing equipment — barrels, nozzles, dies, and related components. They’re engineered for the temperature ranges and access requirements typical of injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding operations. Available through the UniTherm shop at shop.unitherm.com.

What to Expect in Terms of Results

While results vary by equipment type, temperature setpoint, and ambient conditions, published energy studies have documented meaningful reductions in heater band energy consumption when insulation jackets are added to plastics processing equipment. In addition to direct energy savings, facilities often report reduced ambient heat in work areas around the machines — a worker comfort and safety benefit that the DOE sourcebook also identifies as a legitimate benefit of insulation improvements.

UniTherm maintains an Energy Study Library on its website with documented results from insulation applications. Visit unitherm.com/media/energy-study-library for case data.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

Source: U.S. DOE, Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (Third Edition), 2015.

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Heat Containment: Why Insulation Is Usually the First Step in Any Efficiency Program

The Department of Energy’s process heating sourcebook divides efficiency improvements into five categories. Of those five, heat containment stands out as the one most facilities can act on quickly, without major capital investment and without interrupting production.

Heat containment means reducing energy losses to the surrounding environment. Every surface that runs hotter than ambient temperature is a source of those losses. The hotter the surface and the larger the area, the more energy is leaving the system and adding to your fuel bill.

What the DOE Sourcebook Says About Insulation

The sourcebook is direct about what poor insulation costs: “Poor insulation might reduce a process heating system’s efficiency, thereby increasing the amount of energy needed to perform a given process heating task. In addition to an increased cost for energy, the system is exposed to higher stress, which can accelerate wear and subsequently lead to more frequent breakdowns. Other side effects can be reduced product quality and increased maintenance.”

That last point is important. Insulation isn’t just about energy savings. When equipment runs hotter than it needs to because heat isn’t being retained properly, the surrounding components experience greater thermal stress. Over time, that means shorter service life and more downtime.

Where Insulation Applies

Insulation opportunities in a process heating system typically include: furnace and oven walls, doors, and ceilings; pipes, valves, and flanges carrying hot fluids, gases, or steam; ductwork connecting heating equipment to downstream processes; heating barrels, nozzles, and dies on plastics processing equipment; and exhaust components that carry high-temperature gases away from the process.

Each of these surfaces loses heat at a rate determined by the temperature difference between the surface and the surrounding air, the surface area, and the effectiveness of any existing insulation.

Removable vs. Permanent Insulation

For some surfaces — furnace walls, fixed ductwork — permanent insulation makes sense. But for components that require regular maintenance access, permanent insulation creates a practical problem: every time someone needs to access the valve, flange, or connection, they have to remove and replace insulation that wasn’t designed to come off.

Removable and reusable insulation covers solve that problem. They’re designed to go on and come off quickly, without damaging the insulation or the equipment underneath. This makes them practical for valves, flanges, fittings, and other components where access is part of the normal maintenance routine.

UniTherm’s insulation blankets and jackets are built specifically for this use case. UniVest® covers for plastics processing equipment, IsoCovers for pipes and valves, and custom insulation blankets for other industrial components — all removable, reusable, and engineered for high-temperature environments. Browse the full line at unitherm.com.

A Simple Place to Start

If you haven’t done a surface temperature audit recently, that’s a good first step. Walk the system with an infrared thermometer. Note which surfaces are running significantly above ambient temperature. Prioritize the largest, hottest surfaces — those represent the biggest ongoing losses. Then ask whether those surfaces are accessible for maintenance. If they are, removable insulation is worth a look.

For our standard removable insulation solutions, visit shop.unitherm.com.

To request a quote for a custom insulation solutions click here.

Source: U.S. DOE, Improving Process Heating System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry (Third Edition), 2015.

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The ROI of Removable Insulation: How Plastics Manufacturers Cut Energy Costs

Walk the floor of almost any injection molding or extrusion facility and you’ll find the same scene: bare barrel heater bands radiating heat into the air, cooling systems working overtime to compensate, and utility bills that never seem to come down.

It’s inefficiency hiding in plain sight, and it’s surprisingly simple to fix.


Removable insulation jackets for plastics equipment are not a new idea, but their return on investment is often dramatically underestimated. At UniTherm International, we’ve conducted energy studies across hundreds of facilities. The results are consistent: properly insulated barrel zones and hot runner systems typically reduce energy consumption by 35–50% in those areas, with payback periods measured in months, not years.

Where the Heat (and the Money) Is Going:

An exposed heater band on an injection molding barrel can radiate significant energy losses. Multiply that across a 10-machine shop running two shifts, and you’re looking at a meaningful annual waste. Beyond direct energy cost, there are secondary effects:

  • Ambient temperature rise forces HVAC systems to work harder, especially in summer.
  • Uneven thermal conditions stress components and contribute to faster wear.
  • Workers in close proximity to hot equipment face health and safety concerns.

Why Removable? Why Not Just Permanent Insulation?

This is the key question, and it’s where UniVest® insulation jackets shine. Unlike rigid or permanent insulation, removable jackets come off quickly for maintenance, inspection, or changeover and reattach in minutes. No cutting, no mess, no downtime penalty.

UniVest® jackets, constructed from high-temperature-rated materials, withstand heat, oils, and mechanical abuse typical on plastics shop floors. Custom-fit to your equipment using 3D AutoCAD modeling, they cover barrels, nozzles, hot runners, and other heated zones without interfering with normal operation.

What Does an Energy Study Show?

UniTherm offers complimentary energy studies that calculate the projected savings specific to your equipment, run schedule, and utility rates. Inputs include current surface temperatures, hours of operation, and local kWh cost. The output is a straightforward payback analysis — typically showing full cost recovery within 6 to 18 months.

One Texas-based molder with 22 machines reduced monthly energy spend by over $3,000 after insulating barrel zones on their larger presses. The jackets paid for themselves in under a year. More importantly, their process temperatures stabilized, reducing scrap rates as a secondary benefit.

Getting Started

The fastest way to assess the opportunity at your facility is to request a free sample jacket to test on your highest-heat machine. UniTherm International’s team will work with you to identify which zones offer the greatest return and quote custom-fit jackets from there.

Margins are tight and energy costs are one of the few controllable line items. Removable insulation is one of the highest-ROI investments available that doesn’t require a capital budget approval to get started.

Click Here to order your free UniVest® Sample today, or connect with our Sales Team to discuss a custom sample request.

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Dangers of Heat Illness

HEAT ILLNESS CAN BE DEADLY. When employees are exposed to hot temperatures, maintaining a safe work environment can be more challenging than you think. As summertime temperatures continue to rise, it becomes increasingly important for employers to focus on providing workplace conditions that are safe from the excessive heat.

OSHA Heat Illness Fatalities

Heat Fatalities 2008-2014

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), thousands of workers become sick and even die as a result of exposure to heat each year. In the United States, an average of 400 deaths per year are directly related to heat, and an estimated 1,800 die from illnesses made worse by heat.

Many industries face challenges when it comes to providing a cool working environment, particularly in heat-susceptible areas such as industrial plants, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. When surface temperatures on pipe and equipment routinely exceed 140° F (60° C), measures should be taken to improve the working environment. Without adequate cooling or precautions, workers are put in danger while equipment and manufactured products are at an increased risk of failure, which can impact worker safety and productivity, and certainly, a company’s bottom-line.

So how can you protect your employees from heat exposure while also ensuring that the work is accomplished on time?

According to OSHA, “The best way to prevent heat-related illness is to make the work environment cooler”. However, the dilemma now becomes how to efficiently and economically cool large, open areas where high ambient outdoor temperatures and heat-generating machinery are factors.

OSHA Touch Safe, Ambient Air temperature

The radiating heat of a running barrel affects the ambient temperature.

Fortunately, the use of industrial insulation on process equipment and piping not only saves money and energy, but also reduces the potential for heat- related illnesses. As insulation is added to systems, the surface temperature of these systems is dramatically reduced. This provides a cooler work environment that yields higher productivity, as workers do not require as many breaks and are less concerned with the potential for burns from hot surfaces. Furthermore, insulation helps reduce the amount of work your machine has to do by decreasing the amount of energy used without sacrificing quality or performance. Learn more about the energy saving benefits of insulation.

The use of UniTherm’s UniVest® and ISOCOVERS Insulation Systems product lines provide easy and efficient ways to save energy and money while creating a cooler and safer work environment. Additionally, these product lines can be purchased online because they now are available in standard “off-the-shelf” sizes, which drastically reduces the time and costs often associated with custom insulation jobs. For all of our heat prevention products, view our online shopping cart here.

UNI-ISO

For additional tips on how to keep your facility cooler and your workforce happy and motivated, click here for more information about preventing heat-related illness.

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UniTherm Insulation Systems

711 Jones St.
Lewisville, TX 75057
Toll Free: 800.657.9542
Phone: 972.436.1401
Fax: 972.436.0112
info@unitherm.com