The excitement was in the air at this year’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Washington, DC, in late September. About a year earlier, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) had been signed into law by President Joe Biden, establishing new tax benefits to boost green-friendly construction. Vendors at the world’s largest green building symposium were buzzing.

The expo featured rows of exhibitions on the environmental virtues of companies involved with every stage of the construction process, from insulated concrete manufacturers to wastewater management companies. Lectures and panel discussions peppered the sprawling convention center hall, featuring industry luminaries waxing poetic about the challenges and promises of green capitalism. Many of these companies will likely benefit from the IRA; the federal government is expected to spend about $369 billion on green building investments because of the law’s tax provisions.

One company that appeared particularly giddy about the new law was an Irish building products manufacturer, the Kingspan Group, known primarily for its insulation panels. A Kingspan representative at the expo said firms will know more about any potential benefits from the IRA in the next eighteen months, as tax authorities determine eligibility in practice. But the company — a major player in the green building materials industry, according to market analysts — is positioning itself to reap the rewards.