Natural Fibre Insulation Week 2024
14-18 October 2024
About Natural Fibre Insulation Week
Join the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products and the ASBP Natural Fibre Insulation Group for an exciting new showcase of natural fibre insulation (NFI) products and systems, with a series of in-person events, CPDs, tours and practical hands-on workshops taking place across the UK from 14th – 18th October 2024.
#NFIWeek2024 will provide architects, designers, specifiers, contractors and clients with access to some of the leading industry experts from the ASBP Natural Fibre Insulation Group, which includes the major manufacturers and suppliers of natural fibre insulation in the UK.
NFI Week is an opportunity to find out more about the multiple benefits of natural fibre insulation, get hands-on with NFI via practical demonstrations, and embark on tours of production facilities and site visits.
The event showcase will kick off with the 3rd annual NFI Summit ‘The Big Debate‘ taking place on Monday 14th October online, followed by a series of regional in-person events throughout the week, hosted by members of the ASBP Natural Fibre Insulation Group.
About Natural Fibre Insulation
Natural fibre insulation (NFI) products and systems are derived from natural materials such as wood fibre, hemp, straw, cellulose, wool, cotton and flax. NFI has a wide range of applications including for new build and retrofit, and residential and commercial buildings.
Insulation is more than just U-values. It profoundly influences the performance of our buildings and has multiple roles, including acoustic performance, fire protection, improved health & wellbeing and occupant comfort, and lower embodied carbon. Balanced consideration of this multi-functionality often makes natural fibre insulation the most appropriate choice.
Find out more and download resources at https://asbp.org.uk/group/natural-fibre-insulation.
Events calendar
Monday 14th October
NFI Summit 2024 – ‘The Big Debate’
Hosted by: ASBP
Join the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products and the ASBP Natural Fibre Insulation Group for the opening event of the inaugural Natural Fibre Insulation Week.
The format for this year’s Natural Fibre Insulation Summit is a lively debate session taking place on Monday 14th October, 1-2pm, online. Join us for this hour long lunchtime event as we discuss the key issues facing the construction, housebuilding and retrofit sectors, and debate how natural fibre insulation (NFI) can be a key part of the solution.
Date: Monday 14th October
Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: Online (Zoom)
Type of event: Online debate
Cost: Free of charge
Tuesday 15th October
Retrofit with Natural Fibre Insulation at Tod College and Beyond
Hosted by: School of Natural Building
A showcase of the ongoing retrofit of Tod College, a 1950s vocational training building, now under community ownership. Natural fibre insulation will play a fundamental role in the fabric improvements needed to enhance the energy performance and longevity of this sustainable community hub. The School of Natural Building (SNaB) are lead educators for multiple retrofit skills courses and have been advising on the retrofit process.
Led by Barbara Jones, the country’s leading voice in straw building, natural materials and inclusivity in construction:
Date: Tuesday 15th October
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Tod College, Burnley Road, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, OL14 7BX
Type of event: Tour and lecture followed by a Q+A
Cost: Free of charge
Further information: Tradespeople, professionals, homeowners and anyone with an interest in natural materials is encouraged to attend the event. Refreshments provided. Todmorden is easily accessed by train from Manchester and Leeds and Tod College is fully accessible.
Wednesday 16th October
Warmcel - All about Recycled Newspaper Insulation
Hosted by: PYC Warmcel
In the meeting room of PYC’s Passive House Offices, expert speakers will present on the physical properties of Warmcel, manufacturing process, performance and resilience testing along with technical detailing within different construction types. Project examples of where Warmcel has been used will be shown with explanations of designs and targets achieved such as the Passive House standards.
Following this there will be practical demonstrations of installation methods in the workshops within the offsite manufacturing system that PYC use along with the opportunity to visit a local building site using this build system and Warmcel.
Date: Wednesday 16th October
Time: 10:00-12:00 (plus possible visits)
Location: PYC Insulation, The House Building Factory, Buttington Cross Enterprise Park, Welshpool, Powys, SY21 8SL
Type of event: Presentations and demonstrations
Cost: Free of charge
Thursday 17th October
A Celebration of Natural Fibre Insulation
Hosted by: Ecological Building Systems
Ecological Building Systems will host an event at their offices near Carlisle, giving an overview and introduction to the Natural Insulations within their portfolio followed by practical sessions on Retro EcoWall® and Passive EcoWall®, both complete low energy diffusion open solution for internal wall insulation.
Presenters include Penny Randell, General Manager UK & Director, and Technical Specification Advisors Gregg Peel and Andy Cook.
Date: Thursday 17th October
Time: 10:00-13:00 (followed by lunch)
Location: Cardewlees, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA5 6LF
Type of event: Presentations, demonstrations & practical workshop
Cost: Free of charge
Further information: EBS can provide a certificate of attendance based on 3 hours of training.
40 spaces available.
Thursday 17th October
Hemp Insulation Mill Open Day
Hosted by: IndiNature
Tour of Britain’s first dedicated natural fibre insulation mill using hemp fibre grown in Britain.
The only hemp insulation with a full BBA agrement certificate. IndiNature manufacture a range of thermal and acoustic products – from flexi-batts to insulating boards.
Date: Thursday 17th October
Time: 1:30 start
Location: IndiNature Mill, Oxnam Road, Jedburgh, TD8 6NN
Type of event: Factory tour
Cost: Free of charge
Further information: PPE will be provided. Directions here: https://www.indinature.co/jedburgh
17th + 18th October
STEICO wood fibre insulation in pre-fabricated systems - factory tour with Discovery Homes
Hosted by: STEICO/Discovery Homes
A two-day Open Day at Discovery Homes’ factory, hosted in partnership with STEICO. Explore the innovative closed panel system that utilises STEICO’s ecological timber solutions for offsite pre-fabricated manufacturing of walls, roofs, and floors.
Participants can enjoy guided tours of the production line, witness blown wood fibre insulation in action and explore the materials up close. This event welcomes everyone – from self-builders to architects, developers to timber framers – interested in ecological timber building solutions.
Date: Thursday 17th and Friday 18th October
Time: Tours at 10am, 12pm and 2pm on both days
Location: Discovery Homes, Orchard Loan, Forfar, DD8 1TD
Type of event: Factory tour and material showcase
Cost: Free
Further information: Max groups of 10 persons. Please indicate your preferred time when registering via email.
Friday 18th October
Showcase of Natural Fibre Insulation
Hosted by: Ultimate Insulation
Join Ultimate Insulation for a tour of their premises in Stirling and a presentation on natural fibre insulation in their new practical presentation area.
Date: Friday 18th October
Time: 9:00 – 13:00
Location: Unit 3, 24 Munro Road, Springkerse Industrial Estate, Stirling FK7 7UU
Type of event: Presentations and tour
Cost: Free of charge
Friday 18th October
Woodfibre IWI & EWI systems - Installation and Education Day
Hosted by: Lime Green Products
An all-day hands on woodfibre IWI & EWI systems education & installation event at Lime Green’s new training premises in Much Wenlock. Plus a possible plant tour and/or site visit to a local new build timber frame home insulated with woodfibre and lime renders.
Date: Friday 18th October
Time: All day (exact timings TBC)
Location: Coates Kilns, Stretton Road,Much Wenlock, Shropshire, TF13 6DG
Type of event: Presentations and demonstrations
Cost: TBC
Further information: Space for up to 40 attendees
Events map
Natural Fibre Insulation Week 2024 is supported and hosted by the ASBP Natural Fibre Insulation Group
Find out more about the group at https://asbp.org.uk/group/natural-fibre-insulation.