Heat-loss prevention (insulation)

Ranked by thermal resistance per unit thickness (lambda, W/m.K). Vacuum panels are the ceiling; bio-based boards sit in the middle; loose earth/straw give less R per thickness.

Solutions

• Wood wool insulation board: Rigid/semi-rigid boards of mineralised wood fibre; good thermal and acoustic performance.
• Straw or hay-based insulation blocks: Compressed straw/hay panels or bales; very low embodied energy, locally sourceable.
• Sheep's wool insulation: Natural fibre batt insulation; manages humidity well, non-irritant to install.
• Hemp-lime (hempcrete) wall infill: Hemp shiv + lime binder cast around a frame; breathable, good thermal mass and insulation combined.
• Cellulose (blown-in) insulation: Recycled paper fibre, blown into cavities; good fit around irregular framing.
• Cork insulation: Expanded cork board; naturally rot- and pest-resistant and renewable, but higher embodied energy/cost than straw or wool options.
• Light straw-clay infill (torchis leger): Straw coated in a clay slip, packed around a frame; combines insulation with some thermal mass and vapour permeability.
• Compressed hemp block (dry-molded, distinct from cast hempcrete): Dry-molded, air-dried hemp shiv and lime block laid like masonry as infill between a post-and-beam frame, distinct from cast/sprayed hempcrete infill already in
• Vacuum insulated panel (VIP): Factory-sealed rigid panel with a fumed-silica or open-cell foam core evacuated below 1 mbar, faced with a gas-barrier film. Center-of-panel thermal conductivit
• Mycelium (fungal) insulation panel: Grows Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) mycelium through a pasteurized cardboard substrate in a mold to bind it into a rigid insulation panel, then kills th
• Lime-hemp (chaux-chanvre) insulating render: Natural hydraulic lime (NHL) + hemp shiv (chenevotte) applied as a breathable insulating render coat to existing masonry, roughly 4-6cm for thermal correction,