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We are thrilled to have added Wood Fibre Insulation to our product line up for use as part of a breathable EWI system!
This is a really exciting addition to our external wall insulation systems because Wood Fibre is a completely renewable material with extremely low pollution levels, and can bring down the U values of your external walls massively. We know that many customers who consider external wall insulation are very environmentally aware and are eager to choose materials that do not have a negative impact on the environment. We are keen to encourage this and we think that Wood Fibre Insulation is the way to go!
Therefore, because of its recent addition to our systems we thought we’d talk a bit about the benefits of Wood Fibre Insulation, where it comes from and why it’s so great.
Wood Fibre Insulation is Environmentally Friendly
We source our Wood Fibre Insulation boards from a company called Pavatex. Pavatex are dedicated to the notion that using secure and healthy forests helps to stabilise and manage the environment, and their Diffutherm Wood Fibre insulation boards can indeed boast this status of being sustainable and environmentally conscious. This achievement has not gone unnoticed; Pavatex are certified by the renowned Nature Plus standard – the European quality standard for building materials set up by the WWF, FSC and Greenpeace.
Not only is their Wood Fibre Insulation product environmentally conscious, but the manufacture process is as well. The Pavatex production locations in Cham and Golbey claim to be dedicated to being efficient and environmentally friendly. As a result, after taking into consideration its low manufacture emissions, the Diffutherm Wood Fibre Insulation has an overall positive CO2 balance of around 600kg per tonne of product.
When used as part of an external wall insulation system, Diffutherm Wood Fibre Insulation helps to reduce the carbon footprint of property owners by lowering the U values of the external walls of their property, resulting in reduced energy requirements. Wood Fibre boards are also safe to dispose of due to the fact that they are recyclable and compostable once they have reached the end of their lifespan.
The Diffutherm Wood Fibre boards are therefore eco friendly throughout their entire lifespan, and when used as part of our EWI system they will improve indoor air quality, reduce emissions and enhance the thermal performance of the building.
What type of property is best for Wood Fibre Insulation?
Wood Fibre Insulation is compatible for use on masonry, steel frame or timber frame structures and even historic or hard to treat buildings; Pavatex have worked with many organisations such as English Heritage, the National Trust, Scottish Heritage and Cambridge University – to name a few! Wood Fibre also works really well with our new Heritage range of lime products. However, because of its high breathability, we are going to focus on the use of Wood Fibre Insulation for timber frame structures.
Wood Fibre Insulation is excellent for EWI on timber frame buildings because timber frames need to be able to breathe in order to resist damp and rotting of the timbers. Air circulation is essential, and because of this it can be incredibly difficult to insulate a timber frame property without increasing the risk of damp. This is where Wood Fibre Insulation comes in to its own.
When used with a breathable render, water vapour is able to pass through the existing external walls, through the Wood Fibre Insulation and then the render. We recommend our Silicone or Silicone Silicate renders for use with Wood Fibre Insulation, as the breathability of both materials means that they will work well in conjunction with each other. Wood Fibre Insulation boards must also be fixed with mechanical fixings and our Premium Adhesive (our strongest and most breathable adhesive) so it will be able to completely support the weight of the Wood Fibre Boards and maintain breathability.
Diffutherm Wood Fibre Boards are waterproof so they won’t absorb rainwater or moisture. However they are vapour permeable, which essentially means that the Wood Fibre Boards will allow water vapour from within the warm building to pass through the material and then through the breathable render to evaporate on the external side.
Breathable ‘Nature Plus’ systems with Wood Fibre
In breathable systems, the insulation materials are arranged in such a way that the layers become increasingly more vapour permeable from the inside to the outside so that moisture can safely escape from within the house. This creates a harmonious climate within the house where moisture and the risk of damp is reduced.
To achieve this, we recommend an environmentally friendly ‘Nature Plus system’. This consists of fitting OSB (which can be taped for air-tightness) behind plasterboard on the interior of the timber stud-work, then laying Nature Plus certified Thermafleece insulation (from our friends over at the Ecostore) in between the stud-work. You would then install our Nature Plus certified Diffutherm Wood Fibre onto the exterior before rendering as a final step.
How are Wood Fibre Insulation boards made?
Pavatex Wood Fibre Insulation is made from local, sustainably managed fir and spruce trees from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) forests. They are manufactured from untreated softwood in the form of sawmill slabs, chippings and splinters which are the byproduct of the manufacture of timber or of sustainably built furniture.
The Pavatex Diffutherm Wood Fibre Insulation boards are manufactured in Switzerland under tight environmental regulations against high emissions and pollutants. In order to make Wood Fibre Insulation boards, the previously mentioned waste wood is ground together to form a pulp. Water is then added and mixed with the pulp, then heated to activate the lignin that the wood naturally contains and which glues the fibres together. The pulp is then pressed into boards, dried and cut to size. Different density sheets of compressed Wood Fibre are then laminated together to produce optimal strength and stability as well as moisture control and vapour permeability.
Do Wood Fibre Insulation boards pose a fire risk?
For many, this is the first question that springs to mind when thinking about externally insulating with Wood Fibre. Pavatex Wood Fibre Insulation boards are classified as as Class E combustible materials. This is the same as many other insulation materials, however the difference with Wood Fibre boards is that because they are made of timber, they characteristically char and slow down the spread of fire. To explain this, Pavatex state that:
‘In a fire a layer of ash forms on the surface of Pavatex Wood Fibre Insulation boards. This acts as a safety shield, preventing oxygen from reaching the flames and slowing down the spread of the fire. This means the construction can withstand a fire for 90 minutes. In addition Pavatex Wood Fibre Insulation systems do not release dangerous gases in case of fire.’ Check out the video below, which demonstrates this further:
We are really excited to be stocking Wood Fibre Insulation! If you have any further questions about installation and technical advice, then comment below or give us a call.
We upload a new blog post every Tuesday and Thursday, so stay tuned for more future content about Wood Fibre Insulation and EWI!
