NATURAL INSULATION Are we warmer yet?
On the face of it, natural insulation doesn’t seem like the natural first choice for self-builders keen to create highly energy efficient homes and extensions. Plastic insulation materials, including polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, phenolic foam and polystyrene insulation boards, outperform natural insulation in virtually every respect. Natural materials are at least as effective as mineral or glass wool, but they’re more expensive. So, why bother with natural insulation?
The answer may be that not everything related to insulation is about thermal resistance. In some cases, an insulation material will need to do more than just
