U.S.-Based Wood-Fiber Insulation

Wood fiber is a tried and trusted insulation option that has been sustainably manufactured and used in Europe for decades. The problem is that it has never been widely available or manufactured in the United States—until now.

This past summer my design-build firm, New Energy Works, received the first commercial shipment of TimberFill insulation manufactured at TimberHP’s facility in Madison, Maine, which will allow us to insulate our wall-, roof-, and floor-enclosure systems with domestically produced wood-fiber insulation, resulting in a more sustainable solution for high-performance and Passive House construction.

TimberFill is made from recycled wood chips left over from domestic sustainable forest harvesting and lumber production. Borate is added as a flame retardant and as protection against mold and pests. By utilizing a natural, carbon-sequestering, and renewable resource to produce its products, TimberHP provides builders and homeowners a cost-accessible and cost-competitive option for building more-sustainable homes without the use of chemical-based insulators such as foam or glass.

TimberFill can be used in dense-pack or loose-fill applications, and it provides R-values ranging from R-13 to R-60 depending on the method of installation and the pack density. Moving forward, TimberHP will be selling TimberFill through a variety of channels, including numerous independent lumber dealers across the Northeast. Expect to pay between $12 and $15 per 25-lb. cube, depending on where the product is shipped.

—Jonathan Orpin, designer and timber-framer

RELATED STORIES

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• Wood-Fiber Insulation Launch Planned for 2022—The First of its Kind in North America
• Using Wood-Fiber Exterior Insulation for a Net-Zero Construction

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