A study of 7 strawbale homes' heat loss and airtightness in the Northeast
Primary author Jacob Racusinwith McArleton,Graham
December 12, 2011
NDB worked with New Frameworks Natural Builders, the authors of a study of the energy performance of several strawbale houses built in the past 5 years. The energy audits were performed by Building Performance Services of Waitsfield, Vt.
This study was primarily undertaken to assess the strategies for air sealing strawbales using plasters. It was also useful for understanding the overall performance of strawbale enclosures and its relation to conventional construction. This report is important work in the development of strawbale construction for cold climates. Initial results show that strawbales can be installed to perform as well as or better than any other type of construction in terms of air tightness and creating a consistent thermal barrier.
There was also data taken on moisture content that confirmed much of what we already knew about strawbale's performance with regard to moisture.
Please contact Ben if you are interested in this report.
Ben, as someone who is planning to build a strawbale house in Vermont, I'd love to see a copy of this report! If you could let me know how I could get a hold of it, I'd appreciate it. My email is tara@goingslowly.com.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Tara
http://www.goingslowly.com
Ben
ReplyDeleteI would love a copy of the report as well. Thank you so much.
Laura_Hennessy@yahoo.com