Persimmon Homes Use Thermafleece
Persimmon Homes’ representative, Helen Taylor and Speckle the sheep
Playful lambs and woolly jumpers – sheep have some strong associations that will always stick. But their role could be set to change, after their wool was trialled as insulation at Persimmon’s Living-i project in Irlam, Greater Manchester.
The development of five homes – Eco, Techno, Lifetime, Modular and Energy – all use eco-friendly features to ensure they have a low environmental impact and so sheepswool insulation has been used in the project’s Eco home.
Sheepswool is a relatively new innovation which has many benefits; it is a natural fibre and so totally healthy; the insulation will remain effective for the lifetime of the building and after which it is biodegradable and reusable, making it the ideal sustainable material.
As a breathable fibre, it is also beneficial to people with allergies, helping to make the home a far more comfortable environment.
David Broadbent, regional chairman for Persimmon Homes North West, comments: “Living-i was conceived to allow us to trial products and materials such as the sheepswool insulation to see if they would be feasible to use across our developments in the future.
“The sheepswool insulation has certainly been popular with people who have visited the development so this clearly demonstrates the public’s concern over use of more natural products within the home.”
Second Nature, supplier of the product ‘Thermafleece’ which was used at Living-i, is seeing a fast increase in uptake of the product. Penny Randell, sales and marketing director, comments: “More developers are looking to use more natural materials in their building techniques, and sheepswool as insulation is a safe way to use what would effectively be a waste product. It is compatible with timber frame and other modern and conventional construction methods and we’re glad Persimmon is looking into its use on a wider scale.”