1. Safe Choice – Wool insulation is a natural resource that is environmentally friendly.
2. Flame Resistant Wool is naturally flame resistant and complies with the Australian Standards for flame resistance. When tested they found the following results:
Wool Insulation Advantage
On a Scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being the best.
Ignitability 0
Heat Evolved 0
Spread of Flame 0
Smoke Developed 1
3. Superior Insulator – Research funded by the Wool Research Development Corporation has shown that wool is a better thermal insulator than other fibers under typical weather conditions because of its ability to absorb and desorb moisture from the air. It can help keep a building cool in summer and warm in winter.
When outside temperatures increase the wool is heated and releases moisture which has a cooling affect on the fiber and the building. This may reduce temperatures by up to 7E °C.
When outside temperatures decrease the wool absorbs moisture which can increase peak temperatures by as much as 4E °C.
4. Natural Sound Block – Wool insulation absorbs sound and therefore reduces noise levels considerably.
5. Healthy Alternative – Wool is non-carcinogenic (see reports in the OSHA website on carcinogenic mineral fibers) and does not cause irritation of the skin, eyes or
respiratory tract. It can be installed without the use of gloves or protective coating.
6. Repels Pests – The additive used to make our wool fire resistant and to repel vermin and insects is Boron, a naturally occurring element found in the earth.
7. Recyclable – Our wool may be used for other environmentally friendly applications at the end of its useful life.
8. Wool is also a very efficient absorber of indoor air pollutants. Research has shown that it can absorb and permanently retain high levels of formaldehyde, emitted from some common building materials and furniture and nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, which are normal by-products of combustion processes (eg, gas stoves and heaters).
Source: Good Shepherd Wool.com
I worked out the cost of this wool from Good Shepard and the cost of cellulose/Lowes.
R-19 insulation
wool – $ 2.66/sqft
cellulose. – $.40/sqft
R-50
wool – $ 7.17/sqft
cellulose. – $ 1.13/sqft
Unless you can get a deal from a producer like Aly, wool is expensive.
According to my calculations it would take almost 14 inches of wool to equal R-50. That is based on the Good Shepard r-values.
Green Fiber (cellulose). shows just a little more for R-49 at 15.2 inches. Of course the cellulose.will settle down to about 13.5 inches.
If there is a wool producer locally, it certainly would be worth checking into. Wool would be much easier to deal with. Wool bats could be handled easily. Not sure how well bulk unformed wool would be to put in a ceiling.
Cellulose. is usually blown in. so attic and roof cavities would need to be accessible. Many places allow you the use of the machine for free when you purchase the cellulose from them.
That’s good to know. That’s for posting.
I have purchased, but not installed, the wool for my home. I went directly to a sheep farmer and paid $.50/lb for wool. That translates to a cost of $225 for a 500 sq ft (interior) house insulated to R-50! Can’t beat that.
Great! The money went directly to the farmer, the money stays in the community, there’s virtually no embodied energy in manufacturing and transport, and you get high quality insulation. R-50 is excellent.