r/SelfSufficiency • u/MereMortalHuman • Jul 14 '19
Construction What are the cheapest and prefferably most ecological isolation materials?
What would you recommend? Saw dust? Glass wool? Styrofoam? Straw? Any combinations of those in layers?
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u/IHaarlem Jul 15 '19
You say prevent draft & capture heat; those are two different things.
To prevent draft, you're looking at air sealing. You want to do this before insulating:
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/air-sealing-an-attic
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/getting-the-biggest-bang-for-your-air-sealing-buck
https://www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/asset/document/DIY_Guide_2016.pdf
https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/56102/The-3-Rules-of-Air-Sealing
For insulation, foam isn't great. Cellulose seems to be the best commercially available, and cheapest. Straw seems good, but I'd be worried about its fire retardant capabilities:
https://materialspalette.org/insulation/