Wood-frame buildings are becoming increasingly popular due to their durability, low carbon footprint, and design flexibility. However, to ensure optimal energy efficiency, it is crucial to choose the right insulation. So, what is the best insulation for a wood-frame building?
In this article, we will examine the different types of insulation available on the market and present the advantages and disadvantages of each in wood frame construction.
Glass wool insulation:
Glass wool is one of the most commonly used insulation materials for wood-frame construction. This insulation is made from sand and glass and is relatively inexpensive. Available to professionals but also accessible to individuals through specialty stores, glass wool panels are easy to install. However, the composition of glass wool causes skin and respiratory tract irritation during installation. Its low density also gives it a low phase shift. Its manufacture requires a great deal of energy due to the firing of its raw material (melted at very high temperatures) and is therefore not conducive to reducing CO2 emissions.
Rock wool insulation:
Rock wool is another insulation material commonly used in wood-frame construction. It is made from volcanic rock. Rock wool provides good thermal and acoustic insulation. It is highly resistant to fire and mold. However, it can also irritate the skin and respiratory tract. The manufacture of rock wool insulation also requires the raw material (fossil fuel) to be heated to very high temperatures (above 1000°C), which is not conducive to reducing CO2 emissions.
cellulose insulation
cellulose insulation made from recycled paper and is an eco-friendly choice for wood-frame construction. It offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation, as well as great versatility in its application thanks to its loose-fill form, which is perfectly suited to wood-frame construction. It can be installed prefabricated or on-site. When blown into walls, its density is extremely high and durable (over 50 years). There is therefore no settling of cellulose insulation into crawl spaces, floors, and walls. cellulose insulation also cellulose insulation hygroscopic properties, which allow it to buffer variations in humidity levels in a room.
Wood fiber:
Wood fiber is an eco-friendly insulation material made from recycled wood. It offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. Wood fiber comes in a variety of forms: loose, semi-rigid panels, and rigid panels. Often used for exterior thermal insulation (ETI), where it is installed on roofs (sarking) and facades, it can also be used as a substrate for plaster. It is also popular for interior insulation in prefabricated or in-situ construction. Easy to install and non-irritating, wood fiber can be more expensive than other types of insulation.
What is the best insulation for a wood-frame construction?
The choice of insulation will depend mainly on the application (roofs, walls, floors), building constraints, personal preferences, and budget. There is therefore no single best insulation material for wood-frame construction. However, it is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each type of insulation before making a final choice. RE2020 promotes the use of bio-based materials (cellulose insulation, wood fiber, etc.) that perform very well with wood framing, and demand for these materials has therefore increased in recent years.
