Proper insulation is one of the key elements for an energy-efficient home. And with a heightened awareness of what it means to reduce our carbon footprint, eco-friendly insulation will be one of the ways homeowners upgrade to ensure their home meets these new standards of green.
“Our built environments contribute 40 per cent of our carbon emissions,” says Mona Lemoine, co-director of the Cascadia Green Building Council. “Since 66 per cent of the buildings for 2050 have already been built, we are going to have to start doing renovations to meet our goals of reduced carbon emissions. Proper insulation is very important.”
Cleaner, greener and healthier
Sustainable construction and renovations are the simplest ways to make your home “green.” The growing interest in enviro-friendly homes has more choices for insulations with natural ingredients. These eco insulations are gaining in popularity because of they are basically non-toxic with no possibility of releasing harmful fumes from VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
“The nice thing about natural insulation is that there are fewer potential surprises,” says Michael Driedger, sustainability research advisor at Busby Perkins +Will in Vancouver. “Look at the problems we had with asbestos when we thought it was fine. There is growing concern about formaldehyde and the plasticizers being added to most insulation, because we don’t know their long-term effects on things like water sources and air quality.”
A new use for jeans: Denim insulation
Bonded Logic’s Ultra Touch is an eco-insulation made from 85 per cent post-industrial recycled denim leftover from the manufacturing of blue jeans. This scrap material is collected and layered into panels and then treated with a boron-based solution that acts as a fire retardant, mould/mildew preventer and pest inhibitor. Because it is quite thick, denim insulation also has superior thermal and acoustic properties. This is a zero-waste product since it requires little energy to manufacture and uses materials destined for a landfill. The one drawback is that it’s still more expensive than conventional insulation with a limited distribution. It is currently sold by Vancouver-based Twin Maple Marketing.
Driedger believes the market is going to change: “It’s a question of supply and demand. Once more people start using them the prices will drop. It’s important to encourage architects and builders to move out of their comfort zones and begin using these new insulations.”
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