Insulation
From a full Passivhaus design to a simple loft conversion the effective use of insulation has never been more high profile. One of the key features of current renovation and new building design is the effective utilisation of insulation to minimise heating requirements. Whilst in the UK we historically tended to think of insulation in terms of carpeting lofts with fibre or pumping old newspapers into wall cavities, things have moved on.
In this series of articles, mbc will bring you an overview of the current technology and options that are available.
We’ll use four broad classifications for insulation materials:
Insulation manufactured from natural sustainable materials.
The most sustainable and therefore greenest category of insulators. Includes Sheep’s wool, Cork, Hemp and Straw-board.
Insulation manufactured from waste materials.
Closely on the heels of the sustainable materials come Wood fibreboard, Cellulose fibre and Foamed glass.
Insulation manufactured from natural materials.
These have been with us for sometime and use plentiful but finite resources and have production processes that lead to products with high embodied energy. Glass fibre & Mineral wool insulations fall within this category.
Insulation manufactured from petrochemicals.
Expanded and Extruded Polystyrene, Phenolic foam, Polyurethane and Polyisocyanurate. Being derived from oil and with production processes that lead to products with high embodied energy these are the least green category of insulators.
As articles on each type of insulation are added links will open up from the article - keep checking back!
If you enjoyed that post, then read these...
Super Insulation on April 18th, 2007
Through recent technological innovations it is now possible to insulate buildings to such an extent that no heating system is required to maintain comfortable temperatures.
Insulation ~ Sheep's wool on July 22nd, 2008
Perhaps one of the most talked about and attractive recent innovations, sheep's wool insulation is of particular attraction to those of us who to the...
Insulation ~ Cork on September 28th, 2008
You knew there was a use for cork except for sealing wine bottles.
Insulation ~ Hemp on September 2nd, 2008
To those yet to be introduced to the wonders of hemp, this type of insulation can seem like a hippies dream, however a simple...
Insulation ~ Wood Fibreboard on October 30th, 2008
Made from pulped wood, wood fibreboard is potentially a local material for all.
Posted in Insulation |
July 15th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Wouldn’t it be better to classify cellulose fibre as being manufactured from waste material rather than from natural materials - most of it comes from recycled paper, doesn’t it?
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Ed,
I think you’re right … my classification between sustainable and waste was a bit woolly (nothing to do with sheep!) … moved!
Thanks