One of the most effective ways to conserve resources is to keep your home warm without overly relying on heating mechanisms. A smart way to prevent heat loss is to incorporate eco-friendly insulation materials made with natural fibers such as cork, wood fiber, or sheep’s wool. Though this change may be a little more inconvenient and costly that the others, it will certainly help you save on heating bills in the long run.

Oriented to absorb the afternoon sun, floor-to-ceiling doors comprise two-thirds of the home’s west-facing walls, which open to an elevated deck overlooking Island Bay. Combined with extra-thick building insulation, this passive element provides sufficient heating for the home, even during winter months—a true feat given the region’s cold seasonal winds.

Beyond the second-floor landing, a garden roof filters rainwater and provides insulation.

Mushroom Insulation by Ecovative.

Slentex by BASF, price varies per project “The anorganic aerogel–based flexible insulation panel gives superior insulating properties compared to standard blown foam or glass-fiber batting.” Instead of spray-foam insulation, consider this option.

Though many of the interior surfaces have been spray-foam insulated and covered in Sheetrock, the couple, drawn to the natural patina of the shipping containers, opted to keep select areas of the material exposed. Closed off by bas-relief doors designed by Mathesius, the main guest room is one of few spaces that put whole walls of the raw surface on display, painted in Benjamin Moore’s warm Kalamata and Wasabi hues. benjaminmoore.com

Yesterday’s News One of the quickest routes to green design runs straight through Fleet Street. The Wadhams’ walls are padded with nearly a foot of recycled-newspaper insulation by Warmcel; the insulation in the roof goes a few columns farther—it’s a full 16 inches thick.

The architects also used blown-in-blanket insulation (or "BIBS insulation") to improve thermal retention by filling the wall cavity more completely than batt insulation would.

Softbatts Sheep’s Wool Insulation by Bellwether Materials.

The Heids incorporated mostly native plants into the courtyard, which Andrew designed as an ovoid decagon. The George Nelson Platform bench is from Design Within Reach. Solarban low-e glass improves insulation. The layout, says Andrew, is meant to “bring people together.”

The garden-ready rooftop can provide additional insulation and soundproofing.

Van Everbroeck sits on a block of insulation foam that serves as a multifunctional piece of furniture. It was chosen for its “glorious” color.

Two layers of fresh Prodex insulation were put in.

Our R-38 wall section. Rockwool insulation is placed in the 2x6 cavity, and 3.5 inches of continuous expanded polystyrene insulation is screwed to the outside of the oriented strand board shear wall. A benefit to this exterior insulation is that the thermally conductive bridge of the wood studs is broken by insulation. Even a thin layer of exterior insulation can make a big difference.

Alloi's design solution for the exterior envelope included exterior rigid insulation to reduce solar heat gain, and recycled newspaper blown-in cellulose insulation at interior and exterior walls, creating an energy efficient and peacefully quiet home.

The house was constructed with a wooden frame and cellulose insulation.

While Nature Pod pictured here has a showerhead installed outside, it is normally placed in the in the bathroom behind a glass door (or a curtain if the home is purchased without insulation).

The Nature Pod is available as an empty shell without insulation for €13K. Furniture and millwork throughout the rest of the unit, including the queen-sized futon in the bedroom and storage options, must be purchased as add-ons.

For energy efficiency, the architects fitted the walls with wood fiber insulation and triple-glazed windows.

The home’s exterior is clad in panels made from expanded corkboard—a sustainable, cost-effective material that provides insulation.

The living room once had low ceilings, but moving the insulation to the roof plane allowed for dramatic plays of volume and light.

The LumiPod is equipped with Rockwool insulation, exterior rain sheeting, and a moisture protection film. A Toshiba reversible air conditioning system is installed by default for heating and cooling.

A glowing home in Japan has milky-white, one-and-a-half-inch plastic sheets wrapped around the exterior to let in light and provide insulation.

The structure is made of double-brick walls with insulation between each layer, which regulates indoor temperatures while still providing strong protection from the elements.

Fogged glass grants residents a city view while maintaining privacy from neighboring onlookers. Constructed from four larger pieces, timber and steel structure's walls are packed with coconut fiber insulation.

Constructed using ETF-developed technology, the Lightweight Translucent Facade is a thin, double-curved system with highly effective insulation made of aerogel granules inserted and stabilized between specially developed membrane panels.

Although the original interior walls had to be removed to add insulation, Sandy had the new brickwork painted white to match. The kitchen/dining area flows into a sunken lounge, with salvaged tile flooring giving way to concrete.

Poteet describes the space as “unbearably hot” before he used spray-foam insulation between the exterior walls and the interior bamboo. “Now it’s the equivalent of a steel ice chest,” he says.

Built of durable and easy-to-clean composite materials, Pallet Shelter’s aluminum-framed prefab homes are fitted with insulation and rated for 110 mile-per-hour winds and 25 pound-per-square-foot snow loads.

The retreat embodies the studio’s commitment to environmentally-focused architecture, with triple-glazed windows, abundant insulation, natural ventilation, an air source heat pump for off-grid heating, photovoltaic panels, and a timber-frame structure with blown paper insulation in the roof.

The utility sink and moveable countertop were purchased second-hand. Throughout the interiors, the framing was left exposed. Fire-resistant mineral wool insulation was applied to the exterior, then clad with Alaskan Yellow Cedar boards finished in a shou sugi ban treatment.

The walls are stuffed with 10 centimeters of recycled newspaper insulation. The roof and floors contain 15 centimeters of insulation. The cabin can be used in winter, but it's mainly visited in summertime.

Draper's frame consists of cold-rolled steel and closed-cell spray insulation for the floor, walls, and roof. Land Ark RV added an extra layer of rigid insulation outside the framing for the walls and ceiling.

Tapias covered the addition’s shady east facade with two layers of cork, which he also placed on the roof of the three bedrooms. “Cork is a natural insulation that can be used without any cladding,” he explains. “It lets the wood breathe, and it’s waterproof.”

Casa Dosmurs home was designed with comfort in mind. After being lowered into the plot of land, the two main walls were lined with insulation and a layer of local bricks joined with a matching red-tinted mortar. The finish offers a peculiar warmth despite the industrial palette of materials.