Sustainable, green construction is now a major issue in the mainstream of the construction industry.  Designers and contractors are increasingly trying to choose products that support this ethos without compromising other aspects such as affordability, appearance, durability and safety.

Insulation presents and interesting set of choices.

As these materials are primarily designed to make a building more thermally efficient, they can all be described as beneficial to the environment.  They use no energy in order to perform their function and save energy that would otherwise be wasted.

Almost all products make some claim to be 'Green'.  Some claim to be made from 'recycled' materials such as cellulose or even old clothing, other more traditional products are made from mineral wool or fibre glass, and there is a wealth of foamed plastic based materials to choose from.

Insulation is almost always designed to last the life of the building.  It is therefore essential that the right product is installed.  Some foam materials are manufactured using HCFC's which are environmentally damaging, and they loose their thermal efficiency over time.  Therefore, as the building ages it becomes less well insulated.

In a rush to adopt the latest 'trendy' material that is sold under the green ticket the traditional materials are sometimes forgotten, and the fact that they have been around for a long time sometimes goes against them, as if they have been around for a while they are assumed to be 'not green'.

In the case of mineral wool, this is far from the case!

Mineral wool is made using slag from the blast furnaces that are used to manufacture steel.  This material would otherwise be destined for the local landfill site.  In some cases slag wool is actually recovered from older landfill sites.

The case for mineral wool insulation has never been stronger!

Mineral wool is a tried and tested material that can be found in many forms.  From spray applied products to blankets and higher density boards.

Mineral wool is:

  • Tried and tested for insulation, fire resistance and acoustic applications

  • Non-combustible

  • Choice of spray or board

  • Does not promote mould growth

  • Insulation efficiency does not deteriorate over time

  • Chemically inert

  • Contains no CFC's or HCFC's

  • Environmentally sound

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