Pure sheepwool Insulation for Ireland and the UK

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Why Sheep Wool?

Why sheep Wool?

For thousands of years, sheep have been able to adapt to even the harshest of environments, as their wool protects them through hot, cold, damp and dry seasons.

In this time, man has also used wool for this very protective property and for the many other benefits offered by the material. Because of their crimped nature, when wool fibres are packed together, they form millions of tiny air pockets which trap air, and in turn serves to keep warmth in during winter and out in the summer.

Wool's unique advantage is its breathability. That is it's ability to absorb and release moisture from the surrounding air, without compromising it's thermal efficiency. When wool fibres absorbs moisture, they generate tiny amounts of heat. This warmth acts to prevent condensation in construction cavities by maintaining the temperature above the dew-point in damp conditions.  This property creates a natural buffering effect, stabilising heat changes that occur with relative humidity. Practically, this reduces the need to keep adjusting heating or cooling levels as wool insulation will keep a buildings cooler during the day and warmer during the night.

Sheep wool insulation is good in all conditions
While the exterior layer of a wool fiber is hydrophobic (water-resistant), its inner layer, its cortex, is hydrophilic (water-loving). The cortex can absorb about to one-third of its weight in moisture without feeling damp.
While the exterior layer of a wool fiber is hydrophobic (water-resistant), its inner layer, its cortex, is hydrophilic (water-loving). The cortex can absorb about to one-third of its weight in moisture without feeling damp.

Material Advantages

Crimped wool fibres also gives the manufactured product particularly good resilience. This means that insulation made from wool will retain its thickness, one of the main contributors to insulation efficiency. As wool contains moisture, it is fire resistant, extinguishing itself when the source of flame is removed. It is also a very effective airborne and structureborne acoustic insulation, significantly reducing noises that can be heard throughout a building.
  • Wool is natural, renewable and sustainable
  • Sheep Wool Insulation is perfectly safe to touch and requires no specialised safety clothing or equipment, making it easy to install
  • It causes no irritation to the eyes, skin or lungs and wool fibres present no hazard to your health
  • Wool fibres are breathable, meaning they can absorb and release moisture without reducing thermal performance unlike fibre glass based products
  • Wool does not support combustion and will extinguish itself in the event of fire
  • Sheep Wool Insulation does not settle due to the high elasticity of the wool fibres ensuring no loss of performance over time

Performance Benefits

Being made from a naturally produced fibre, Sheep Wool Insulation requires less than 15% of the energy required to produce than glass fibre insulation.  It can absorb and break down indoor air pollutants, such as formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Wool is a sustainable and renewable resource, that has zero ozone depletion potential and at the end of it's useful life can be remanufactured or biodegraded. Sheep wool insulation is safe and easy to handle and no protective clothing or special breathing apparatus is required to install it.
  • It does not burn, but instead singes away from fire and extinguishes itself (Wool has a very high inflammation point of 560°C due to its high Nitrogen content of ~16%) Wool is self extinguishing because of its high Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI=25.2), which means to completely burn wool an oxygen content of 25.2% is necessary whereas air only has 21%
  • Wool has a higher fire resistance than cellulose and cellular plastic insulation
  • Wool fibres are hygroscopic by nature, meaning the can absorb up to 35% of their own weight from the surrounding atmosphere depending on the humidity, helping to preserve the surrounding timbers.
  • Sheep Wool Insulation rolls are produced to standard width requirements – saving time when fitting
  • While absorbing this moisture, wool releases energy in the form of heat, thus raising the temperature of its surrounding areas. Naturally releasing this moisture in the warmer seasons, wool creates a cooling effect on the same surroundings.
  • Multiple layered wool fibres effectively reduce airborne sound transfer

Saving energy

  • Wool is designed by nature to save energy
  • Sheep Wool Insulation also requires only a fraction of the energy to produce compared to that of man made counterparts
  • This means that Sheep Wool Insulation will pay back its energy costs more than 5 times sooner (only 15 kW of energy are used to produce 1 m³)