Great Northern Insulation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersKitchener, Canada
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Great Northern Insulation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Great Northern Insulation
- Legal name
- Great Northern Insulation
- Website
- https://gni.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Great Northern Insulation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Insulation Contracting Services
- NAICS
- Drywall and Insulation Contractors (238310), Drywall and Insulation Contractors (23831), Siding Contractors (238170)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Insulation & Air/Vapor Barrier Systems (Thermal, Acoustic, WRB/AVB) (IMAFAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Basement Framing, Insulation & Drywall (Build-Out) (HSAPACAB), Exterior Insulation & Weatherproofing (House Wrap, Air/Water Barriers) (HSAPAKAK), Blown-In/Loose-Fill Insulation Systems (IMADAGAK), Cellulose (Recycled Fiber) Insulation (IMADAGAC)
Keywords
Where Great Northern Insulation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kitchener
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Great Northern Insulation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Residential Insulation Retrofit: Revenue from upgrading existing homeowner properties with insulation and air sealing services. Homeowners pay for labour and materials; costs can be partially offset by government rebate programs (Home Renovation Savings Program, Canada Greener Homes Loan, CMHC Green Home Refund, Enbridge incentives). No ongoing subscription; one-time project-based revenue with average project sizes ranging from attic top-ups to whole-home retrofits.
- New Construction Residential Insulation: Specifying and installing insulation in newly built residential homes during the construction phase, working directly with homebuilders and developers.
- Commercial and Industrial Retrofit: Full-suite air sealing, insulation, and retrofit services for institutional, commercial, and industrial buildings under GNI Management Group Inc. Project-based revenue from property owners, building managers, and general contractors.
- New Construction Commercial: Insulation specification and installation for new commercial, institutional, and industrial building projects.
- Agricultural Insulation: Specialized insulation services for agricultural facilities (e.g., poultry farms) to reduce heat stress in livestock and improve energy efficiency of agricultural buildings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Project-based pricing for residential insulation services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Great Northern Insulation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Great Northern Insulation is a full-service insulation contractor that installs spray polyurethane foam, blown-in cellulose, fiberglass batts, and hemp insulation, combined with blower-door-driven air sealing, for residential retrofit, new construction residential, commercial/institutional/industrial retrofit, and agricultural buildings across Southern Ontario. The company delivers project-based installation services through direct field sales with free in-home assessments, supported by manufacturer partnerships with BASF, Elastochem, 3M, Climatizer, Huntsman, and MAGNETITE, and handles customer rebate application submissions for programs including the Ontario Home Renovation Savings Program.
Product overview
Great Northern Insulation is a full-service insulation contractor offering a comprehensive portfolio of insulation products and installation services for residential and commercial customers across Ontario. The core offering includes spray foam insulation, cellulose, and fiberglass batts installed by trained professionals for attics, basements, walls, and entire building envelopes. Services span residential retrofits, commercial retrofits, new construction, and specialized agricultural applications. The company also provides complementary air sealing services using blower door testing and offers window retrofit solutions (MAGNETITE, 3M films). Premium offerings include BASF HP+ Wall Systems for high-performance construction and Passive House retrofitting. The company operates under GNI Management Group Inc. alongside sister companies Advanced Insulation, Isolation Majeau et frere, and McPherson Products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 30–50% reduction in annual heating and cooling costs with spray foam insulation
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Great Northern Insulation
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Great Northern Insulation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Great Northern Insulation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Government of Ontario / Natural Resources CanadacoreGNI is a participating contractor in the Ontario Home Renovation Savings Program (standalone attic insulation rebate stream, effective January 5, 2026 offering up to $1,250 for attic upgrades; no energy assessment required). GNI handles the rebate application submission on behalf of customers. Also participates in Canada Greener Homes Loan and CMHC Green Home Refund programs.
- Habitat for Humanity Heartland OntariominorGNI participated in the Habitat Women Build initiative, installing insulation for families in need. GNI's Great Northern Women team contributed funds and labour for the build of Brianne and Brayden's accessible home in January 2019.
- ElastochemcoreGNI worked alongside Elastochem to install spray foam insulation with Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) for the Parkdale Landing Passive House retrofit project, valued at $10.5 million. Elastochem supplied the spray foam product for this Canada's largest Passive House retrofit.
- BASFcoreGNI is an authorized installer for multiple BASF products: WALLTITE CM01 (HFO-based spray foam, lower global warming potential), WALLTITE ECO (closed-cell spray polyurethane), Neopor GPS (graphite polystyrene rigid foam), ENERSHIELD air/water resistive coating, and BASF HP+ Wall Systems (E, X, and XR series). BASF and GNI partnered on the Habitat for Humanity Women Build initiative in November 2019.
- Lowe's CanadacoreGNI is the Authorized and Trusted Insulation and Air Sealing Installer for Lowe's Canada, enabling customer referrals through Lowe's retail locations and online channels.
- Enbridge GasminorGNI is a participating contractor in Enbridge's Home Efficiency Rebate Plus program (up to $10,000 in home reno rebates), Home Renovation Savings Program (standalone attic rebate up to $1,250), and other Enbridge incentive programs, enabling GNI to help homeowners access utility rebates.
- GNI Management Group Inc. Sister CompaniescoreGNI is part of GNI Management Group Inc., which also includes Advanced Insulation (Winnipeg), Isolation Majeau et frere, and McPherson Products. GNI recently acquired Thermal-Tek Insulation. The group conducted the 2023 Great Holiday Food Drive together, collecting over 1,000lbs of food across Ontario, Montreal, and Winnipeg.
- HGTV / Love It or List ItminorGNI crew has been featured installing insulation on the TV show Love It or List It (HGTV). Mike Holmes of Holmes and Holmes (HGTV/DIY Network) is referenced as a brand association in marketing materials.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Great Northern Insulation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Elastochem (Spec Chemical): Canadian spray foam manufacturer and GNI partner on the Parkdale Landing Passive House project. Comparable because it supplies the spray foam chemistry that GNI installs and could push direct installation services to building owners.
- Huntsman Building Solutions: Manufacturer of HEATLOK spray foam insulation (including HFO-based products) supplied to GNI. A vertically integrated supplier that owns its own installer programs and competes for the same building-envelope specifications.
- Owens Corning: Global building materials manufacturer whose fiberglass and foam insulation products are installed by contractors like GNI. Comparable because it sits in the same building-envelope value chain and shapes product options, even though it is a manufacturer rather than an installer.
- BASF (Performance Materials): Manufacturer of WALLTITE spray foam, Neopor GPS, and ENERSHIELD — products GNI is authorized to install. A strategic partner and broader incumbent that could expand its own installer network or direct-to-customer reach.
Direct peers
- Advanced Insulation: Sister company under GNI Management Group Inc. (acquired 2023), offering residential and commercial insulation services in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Operates the same building-envelope service model in a different geography.
- Isolation Majeau et frere: Sister company under GNI Management Group Inc., an insulation contractor serving Quebec. Same business model as GNI in a different province.
- Insta Insulation: Ontario-based full-service insulation contractor offering spray foam, blown-in, and batt installation to residential and commercial customers. Most direct head-to-head competitor in the Southern Ontario market.
- Home Insulation: Canadian residential and commercial insulation contractor with a similar retrofit/new-construction service mix and Ontario presence. Direct competitor for residential attic, basement, and wall insulation jobs.
- Thermal-Tek Insulation: Sister company under GNI Management Group Inc. (acquired 2023), an insulation contractor. Comparable offering (residential/commercial insulation installation) operating as a GNI platform brand.
Regional players
- Comfort Insulation: Ontario-based insulation contractor offering spray foam and traditional insulation services. Comparable service menu and customer segment but smaller scale than GNI.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Great Northern Insulation social profiles
Digital presenceGreat Northern Insulation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Great Northern Insulation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Great Northern Insulation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Great Northern Insulation subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Great Northern Insulation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Great Northern Insulation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Great Northern Insulation
What does Great Northern Insulation do?
Great Northern Insulation is a full-service insulation contractor that installs spray polyurethane foam, blown-in cellulose, fiberglass batts, and hemp insulation, combined with blower-door-driven air sealing, for residential retrofit, new construction residential, commercial/institutional/industrial retrofit, and agricultural buildings across Southern Ontario. The company delivers project-based installation services through direct field sales with free in-home assessments, supported by manufacturer partnerships with BASF, Elastochem, 3M, Climatizer, Huntsman, and MAGNETITE, and handles customer rebate application submissions for programs including the Ontario Home Renovation Savings Program.
Is Great Northern Insulation a public or private company?
Great Northern Insulation is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Great Northern Insulation founded?
Great Northern Insulation was founded in 1980. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Great Northern Insulation based?
Great Northern Insulation is headquartered in Kitchener, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Great Northern Insulation make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Residential Insulation Retrofit is the primary driver. The others are new Construction Residential Insulation, commercial and Industrial Retrofit, new Construction Commercial and agricultural Insulation.
Who are Great Northern Insulation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Elastochem (Spec Chemical), Huntsman Building Solutions, Owens Corning and BASF (Performance Materials). Direct peers are Advanced Insulation, Isolation Majeau et frere, Insta Insulation, Home Insulation and Thermal-Tek Insulation. Comfort Insulation is listed as a regional player.
Does Great Northern Insulation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Great Northern Insulation.
What industry is Great Northern Insulation in?
Great Northern Insulation's product category is Insulation Contracting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAMAD, Insulation & Air/Vapor Barrier Systems (Thermal, Acoustic, WRB/AVB), with a secondary code of HSAPACAB, Basement Framing, Insulation & Drywall (Build-Out). Its NAICS code is 238310.