Rockwool and Wool Wool

We are weighing our options for insulating our little heat leaking gem as it has virtually no insulation at the moment. According to the energy report if we insulate the walls and ceiling we’ll cut our heating bill in half and the cost of the insulation will be paid off in about 5 years.

"Rockwool" is the only type of insulation material you can use for brick structures as everything else gets too wet and will eventually mold. It is made of Diabase rock (a type of igneous rock) and other raw materials which are melted in a furnace and spun on wheels to form fibers. The raw material, Diabase rock, is easy to obtain and is renewable in the sense that volcanoes are constantly producing it and although it's production is rather energy intensive, over it’s lifetime it will save far more energy than it consumed in production. It's also completely non-toxic and is sometimes used as a substrate for starting seedlings hydroponically.

Sheep Wool insulation: http://www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie/

In insulating the roof we have a few more options. The usual procedure is to use glass fiber insulation (that’s the pink stuff that comes in rolls) but we’ve found a better alternative: sheep’s wool insulation. It’s more expensive than 'regular' glass fiber isulation but it's actually a slightly better insulator. Best of all, it does not irritate your skin or eyes so you don’t have to worry about wearing masks and gloves when you install it.