Wool has been keeping us warm for thousands of years. Over eight thousand if I read wikipedia correctly. I remember the itchy wool sweater my mom used to make me wear when I was a kid, I remember fishing trips with my family on the open water off the coast of B.C.
Mostly I remember staying warm even when the sweater got wet.
This all applies with wool insulation. It has some abilities that make it unique in the insulation world. It wicks moisture both in and out. Up to 40% before feeling wet. Unlike other types of insulation. It retains its shape do to its kinky nature. It doesn’t have any carcinogens, unlike some pink stuff. It doesn’t irritate your respiratory system. The pink stuff and mineral wool fibers are small enough to be an irritant and possibly a carcinogen.
Other benefits include; naturally resistant to mold, naturally flame retardant , self extinguishing, it costs less to manufacture 
than most of the other types of insulation, and for the tree huggers out there it’s biodegradable. What about mice? Borate is added to the wool to make the mice and other pests unhappy about being near it. It is the same stuff you find in Boraxo.
The cons sheep make methane, how much I don’t know. The climate change thing, you can come to terms with that next time you jump on a plane, or spend the day cutting miles of lawn that no one really cares about. Or consider walking in instead of sitting in the drive thru at Timmy’s with your engine idling the whole time.
Transportation costs;I have to consider getting the wool insulation to Northern Alberta.
How effective is it? I have read that the R-VALUE approaches 4.0 per inch.
The insulation method of using mesh on the walls and blowing in behind the mesh works out for my install as I needed to incorporate wire mesh to help keep out electronic pollution.
I have heard back from two suppliers of wool insulation.
The first is Oregon Shepard. I have included the email I received from Margaret. BTW the pictures above were borrowed from their web site.
Dear Rod,
Thank you for contacting Oregon Shepherd. I will try to answer your questions and will send some information about our product. Shipping is available to Canada and we have had many Canadian customers use PermaLoft. We manufacture loose fill insulation and we source structured batts from the UK. The batting is more expensive than the loose fill. Wool is a fiber that breathes thus it absorbs moisture and desorbs. It does not retain moisture if it is not in constant direct contact with it. The borate on the fibers helps to resist pests, flame and mold. Borate is a naturally occurring mineral used in washing sodas like Boraxo. Pests, like mice, do not like the taste of the borate solution but it is best to try to keep mice populations down as it is not foolproof. We do not have any Canadian certifications but our clients have been able to meet Canadian requirements for installation.
Wool fibers are not dangerous to inhale nor do they cause slivers as do fiberglass fibers. It is a renewable fiber which is being grown all the time. I do not have information on the production of methane as it relates to sheep although I do believe there are studies addressing this. PermaLoft has tested at above 3.9 R value per inch which equals or exceed most other insulation products and does not require dense fill installation.
I am attaching our installation instructions as well as some other documents. We would be happy to have you include a link to our website. Feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.
Sincerely,
Margaret
Oregon Shepherd
503-556-3800
888-629-WOOL (9665)
100% Natural Wool Building Insulation
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Now the response I received from Good Shepard Wool .
Hi Rod,
I started this business and ran it in Rocky Mtn House, AB until 2010; but now reside in Florida. We only sell it in batts as loose is too inconsistent in its coverage; hanging up on nails causing gaps in coverage.
It installs easily without masks and gloves unless a mask is needed due to dust in an old attic.
I have always imported the wool from Europe. The buyer should have the approval of their local building inspector to use it in Canada. The cost is about 2-3 times fiberglass and is installed similarly. Boron is an element used to form the compound borax which is what is used for mice, moths, mildew and insect control; and it is very effective. Moisture that is absorbed by the wool is later released back into the air when the humidity drops. We ship from PA now. There isn’t the danger of getting lung cancer from wool which has been a big problem with the traditional forms of insulating. The R-value is about 10% better than fiberglass so you’d get R-13 in a 4″ wall and R-19 in a 6″ wall. I don’t understand your request about methane as we don’t use that. I hope this answers your questions.
Thanks,
Stan Potter
GOOD SHEPHERD WOOL INSULATION, LLC
PO Box 16662
Fernandina Beach, FL 32035 USA
904-557-3126
In summary I love the idea of putting wool in my walls, My challenge is to get it here and get a good price or learn how to make my own.HMMM I do have a lot of grass that needs mowing and maybe I should buy a few sheep and some shears. I wonder how many cubic feet of sheep I need. Realistically I don’t think that will happen.
In my final installment in my series about insulation I will try to come up with costs as they relate to my location in the world comparative R values and more.
Below the video are some Pdf documents that Margaret from Oregon Shepard had sent along.
I am not a big fan of Rap or hip hop but you should watch the music video below I can only describe it as epic.
If you have the bandwidth turn up the settings to 1080p and go full screen,
Take Care Rod