Insulation for your home, you, and the environment
There is an important adage to keep in mind when building and insulating your home. “Good in, good out”. The better the inputs the better the air you breath, the smaller the impact on the environment and the more enjoyable the space for you and future generations.
What insulation value do I need?
Many factors will determine which type of insulation to choose, including your home’s construction but you always have to start with location. Location speaks to the geographical region your home is in. It is a map showing the general climate for the area you live and then builds a color coded map to give you a clear guide for what insulation thickness you need for each space. Find the color on the map that most closely matches where you live. Then find the area’s color on the corresponding R-Value chart. R stands for Resistance!
7 key criteria that we will use to evaluate the options and name a winner
We will be comparing a range of insulation types.
Rating scale for each judged criteria is on a 1-10 scale with 1 being low and 10 being the highest score.
R-values
And the winner is!
With all the above options the Good Ancestor team’s choice is the Hemp panel.
From an ecological standpoint, hemps natural ability to grow quickly and function as a carbon sink is a huge positive. This is due to the plants growth cycle being a carbon extraction process that deposits the carbon into the soil. Additionally, hemp can be grown as a cover crop, cycling between traditionally farmed commodities and hemp improves soil heath as it deposits the scrubbed carbon to regenerate depleted soil. Lastly, since hemp is a weed it takes less inputs to grow, little to no pesticides and very little water compared to traditional crops. It goes toe to toe with the bulk of the industry in R-values with it coming in on the top end of the average per inch of product. It is only slightly more expensive than the subsidized synthetics that are derived from fossil fuels.
Coupling that with solid sound, moisture, air and ease of installation and you can confidently say “Yes” too hemp.
We hope that this collection helps you to find the best ecological option for your future insulation needs!