New buildings and renovated existing buildings, as well as appliances, can be made more energy efficient by the use of insulations which are more compact for the same level of performance. Recently completed research on closed-cell foam insulation improved its insulating performance and at the same time allowed it to be manufactured with elements which are not hazardous to the environment (in particular which do not deplete the ozone layer). Advanced insulation, which includes a composite of foam and vacuum technology, was also developed.