Steico offering free wood fibre insulation samples

This article was originally published in issue 41 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €10, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge

Steicoflex comes in flexible wood fibre batts and offers a lambda value of 0.036 W/ mK, which Steico said is the lowest of any natural wood fibre-based material.

The product is also certified by the prestigious Institute for Biologically Sound Construction (IBR) in Rosenheim as being harmless to human health.

Steicoflex is also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council — as is Steico’s entire range of softboard products — and stores 85 kg of biogenic carbon (CO2e) per cubic metre of the product, according to the company.

“Being a wood fibre product that is manufactured in Europe, close to the forests from which the wood is sourced, Steico is also less prone to supply issues than other comparable insulation materials at the moment,” said Will Kirkman of leading Steico distributor Ecomerchant.

Kirkman also emphasised that when comparing Steico to other insulation products, it is critical to look at density and thermal performance alongside the price. “Steico wood fibre insulation is much denser than comparable materials; mineral wool is typically 18 to 20 kg per cubic metre, but Steicoflex is 60 kg, a feature that ensures that your insulation also works during the summer months by reducing the risks of overheating. When comparing prices of alternative materials, you get real bang for your buck when buying a material that works all year round,” he said.

To order a free sample of Steicoflex, go to tinyurl.com/SteicoFlex.

Meanwhile, Ecomerchant is also reporting a positive early response to its new Faay HV84 Indoor Climate Wall. This is a strong, rapid-install partition wall system made from 100 per cent natural materials (flax, wood fibre and timber).

The product consists of a dense flax core with a factory-bonded wood fibre surface, onto which a natural, breathing finishing layer such as lime or clay plaster is applied. Faay HV84 is a “breathing wall” which Kirkman said can help to improve indoor air quality, as well as thermal and acoustic performance.

Passive House Plus wrote about the product last year, and Kirkman said this has generated strong early interest, even though the company has yet to formally advertise the product.

The Faay HV84 Climate Wall stores 170 kg of carbon per m2 of the product, according to Faay.