FAQ
- Fördermittel des Bundes (CO2-Gebäudesanierung) KfW Bankengruppe Palmengartenstraße 5–9 60325 Frankfurt am Main Telefon (0 69) 74 31-0 Telefax (0 69) 74 31-29 44
- Bezuschussung von Energiesparberatungen Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle Frankfurter Straße 29–35 65760 Eschborn Telefon (0 61 96) 9 08-0 Telefax (0 61 96) 9 08-800
- Förderung „ökologischer“ Baustoffe Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR) Hofplatz 1 18276 Gülzow Telefon (0 38 43) 69 30-0 Telefax (0 38 43) 69 30-102, www.fnr.de
- Tipps zur Modernisierung und Energieeinsparung Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (vzbv) Marktgrafenstraße 66 10969 Berlin Telefon (0 30) 2 58 00-0, www.vzbv.de
- Dämmstoffe im Vergleich Stiftung Warentest Lützowplatz 11–13 10785 Berlin Telefon (0 30) 26 31-23 45, www.test.de
An average bathroom has a room volume of approx. 20 m³.
During a single shower, up to 500 ml of water can be absorbed by the room air, causing the relative humidity to rise to over 100% and condensation to form on cold surfaces. If ventilation is insufficient, this can contribute to mould growth.
The insulation material THERMO HANF® COMBI JUTE can absorb an additional 90 ml of moisture per kg when humidity rises from 50% to 80%. With just one insulated wall of the above-mentioned bathroom and an insulation thickness of only 4 cm, this already provides a calculated drying reserve of 900 ml, thereby reducing the critical moisture peak.
In a household there are many more sources of moisture than the bathroom: for example, per person per night up to 500 ml of moisture can be released into the air. Cooking can also quickly release 500–1500 ml, and drying laundry can release several litres.
Please note: Because the insulation material itself needs some time to absorb the moisture, it is advisable to fill as many wall and ceiling constructions as possible with THERMO HANF® COMBI JUTE. (For external walls, pay attention to the dew point!)
Der Dachstuhl stellt, je nach Anzahl der Stockwerke, eine große Fläche der Gebäudehülle dar.
Ein ungedämmtes, oder schlechtgedämmtes Dach hat zur Folge, dass die Räume darunter im Sommer unerträglich heiß werden und im Winter dementsprechend kalt. Das Beheizen solcher Räume ist weder ökologisch noch wirtschaftlich möglich.
Je nach Art der Nutzung, können verschiedene Dämmstärken ausreichend sein.
- If the rooms are used only very little and therefore only rarely need to be heated, e.g. as guest rooms, hobby rooms or similar, approx. 12cm of insulation is already beneficial. The U-value already improves to approx. 0.36 W/(m²K) (uninsulated 2.7 W/(m²K)).
A noticeable difference is that when the room is heated, the surface temperature of the interior lining already warms to around 18°C. As a rule, surfaces that are approx. 3°C colder than the room temperature are perceived as uncomfortable. You feel a kind of cold radiation.
Summer heat can only be partially mitigated with this insulation thickness. With a delay of approx. 5 hours, the room temperature reaches an average value between the normal indoor temperature (generally approx. 20°C) and the outdoor temperature on the roof (in summer very quickly over 30°C!).
- During a renovation, the Energy Saving Ordinance targets a U-value of 0.24 W(m²K). This generally corresponds to an insulation thickness of 20cm. The surface temperature of the interior lining in the heated room is already over 19°C, and summer heat hardly penetrates into the interior anymore.
- For new construction, at least a U-value of 0.20 W/(m²K) is required. This corresponds to approx. 24cm of insulation (two layers of 12cm). Thanks to the insulating performance, you achieve cosy warm living spaces in winter with little heating effort, and in summer it remains pleasantly tempered.
- Various funding schemes require even lower U-values and therefore increasing insulation thicknesses. Please consult an energy advisor you trust.
The interior vapor barrier is at least as important as the exterior underlayment. The vapor barrier prevents warm, humid air from penetrating the insulation layer. Due to the temperature gradient there, the humidity rises to over 100%, resulting in condensation. While THERMO HANF® insulation materials can absorb a great deal of moisture, the ratio of absorbed moisture to evaporating moisture must always be balanced. Otherwise, a large amount of water can accumulate in a short period. This can lead to other adjacent building components, such as the rafters, becoming damp, which must be avoided at all costs. Furthermore, damp insulation materials insulate less effectively than dry ones because water is a better conductor of heat than air. In the worst-case scenario, a convection current can occur, causing the heated room air to escape to the outside due to the significantly higher vapor pressure inside during winter. This results in large, uncontrolled amounts of moisture and immense energy loss.
Either approved vapor barriers from various manufacturers or wood-based panels with a suitable sd-value are permitted as vapor barriers. It’s best to consult a manufacturer of sealing systems well in advance.
But vapor barriers weren’t needed in the old days! It’s important to remember that people “back then” were content with far less comfort. Buildings were insulated far less, if at all; there was no central heating to keep all rooms at a comfortable 22°C in winter, and the amount of moisture was much lower.
No daily showers for all residents, no clothes dryers, etc. A building must either be adapted to its use, or vice versa.
The underlayment membrane is responsible for sealing the building component against rain and protecting it from wind, thus preventing it from cooling down. The underlayment membrane is a crucial component of a building structure because it protects against rainwater. It becomes essential as soon as the wind blows, since the insulation cools down much faster without an underlayment membrane than with adequate protection against the wind.
This is comparable to wearing a wool sweater in winter: if the wind blows, you’ll quickly get cold despite the thick sweater. Wearing a thin, windproof jacket over the sweater will keep you warm for much longer.
A wood fiberboard has the same effect as the underlayment membrane.
A complete protection against mice entering the insulation layer made of THERMO HANF® cannot be guaranteed, because mice look for a warm place to overwinter. However, they do not gnaw on the insulation material either. Since hemp fibre contains many bitter substances and no protein, it is not a food source for the animals. In addition, the soda used to spray the fibres for fire protection may also help protect against rodents, as the salt dries out their mucous membranes.
For this reason, it is probably quite rare for hemp to be infested by rodents, since it is not relevant to them as food. Moreover, the fibres and the insulation material are very dense, so even if a rodent does get in, it is difficult for them to gnaw through or destroy it.
The most effective protection against rodents is always constructive protection.
As part of the building approval process, THERMO HANF® insulation materials were tested for susceptibility to mold in accordance with EN ISO 846 and received the best mold rating of 0, meaning that no mold growth was detected. In addition to the natural mold resistance of the fibres themselves, the fire-retardant treatment also makes a positive contribution, as it has a pH value of around 12. Despite this mold resistance, the instructions for installation and the applicable national building regulations should still be followed.
For fire protection, the hemp fibre is sprayed with a soda solution. Soda is a sodium salt, which means it is a mineral substance. In the event of a fire, the surface of the insulation material heats up and, at a certain temperature, the soda salt “evaporates” and releases CO₂. The CO₂ displaces the oxygen needed for combustion at the surface, thereby slowing down the fire.
Hemp is classified as fire class B2 or Euroclass E. According to this fire classification, it is considered “normally flammable,” just like other insulation materials made from natural fibres.
When installed in suitable constructions, building elements with THERMO HANF® insulation can achieve a fire resistance class of up to F 90-B, meaning that a building component with this classification can withstand direct flames for at least 90 minutes.
For cutting our THERMO HANF® insulation materials, we offer special hand saws with a wavy-toothed edge, including a sharpening device, which are excellent for cutting the robust hemp fibres. In addition, we can recommend the BOSCH® Alligator with serrated blades, as well as the insulation saw from Festool.
Online, it’s very simple: with our dealer locator, we guide you to our retail partners for THERMO HANF® insulation materials near you. Simply enter the postal code of your location or place of residence in the search field. The system will then show you the nearest specialist dealers, sorted by distance. The search works for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.
Since 1996, the cultivation of low-THC hemp varieties has once again been permitted in Germany. This so-called industrial hemp is used to serve various future-oriented markets. Hemp fibre is a highly tear-resistant, stable, and durable natural fibre. Since the initial processing step — separating the shives (the woody part of the hemp stalk) from the fibres — is also carried out purely mechanically, the result is a completely natural and uncontaminated intermediate product for further processing.
The raw materials for THERMO HANF® insulation materials come mainly from the Netherlands, where they are cultivated by the parent company HEMP FLAX® Solutions. In terms of a positive CO₂ balance, this ensures short transport routes and contributes to the high quality of the raw material. Production takes place at our company headquarters in Nördlingen, Bavaria. As part of the company’s in-house quality assurance, product properties are regularly tested in the company laboratory in accordance with the requirements of the European Technical Approval.
In winter, insulation should ensure that the inside stays warm and that not too much heat is lost to the outside. The insulation material therefore needs to have a good thermal conductivity value, as this is the basis on which insulation materials are compared. THERMO HANF® has a low thermal conductivity of 0.040 W/(m·K) and therefore offers good thermal insulation properties. Compared with building materials that have a thermal conductivity of 0.035 W/(m·K), this means that insulation made with THERMO HANF® needs to be around 2 cm thicker (for example in a roof construction under EnEV 2009) to achieve the same U-value for a building component. The additional thickness required for THERMO HANF® becomes less significant as the overall insulation thickness increases.
But good insulation performance is not only important in winter to keep out the cold. In summer, the insulation material should also help keep the building cool. For summer heat protection, a high specific heat capacity is important. This means that the heat generated by solar radiation should be stored in the building component for as long as possible before being released again slowly. THERMO HANF® has a specific heat capacity of 2300 J/(kg·K). This means that a considerable amount of energy is needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of the insulation material by 1 degree.
Roof insulation is not only an efficient way to protect against summer heat and winter cold. Insulating your roof can also save you a considerable amount of money. Up to 30 percent of a building’s heat can escape if the roof is not insulated or is insufficiently insulated. Roof insulation is especially worthwhile if you are already planning structural changes, for example if you want to convert the attic into living space or if the roof covering needs to be renewed anyway. The payback periods are very attractive. Hardly any renovation measure pays for itself as quickly as proper roof insulation. And for anyone who does not simply want to insulate their house with conventional materials, but wants to create a healthier indoor environment, THERMO HANF® insulation materials are a very good and widely proven alternative.
THERMO HANF® insulation materials are ideally suited for all areas of roof insulation, for example between-rafter insulation, under-rafter insulation, or over-rafter insulation. Thanks to their very good insulating properties, they provide reliable protection under the roof against both summer heat and winter cold. Since the material is completely safe from a building biology and indoor health perspective, THERMO HANF® insulation materials can also be used very effectively as internal insulation, in partition walls, or in timber beam ceilings. As flexible insulation mats, our insulation products require a supporting structure made of wood or metal in all areas of application, into which they can be friction-fitted.
THERMO HANF® insulation materials are primarily intended for insulating buildings. If another area of application is planned, please check whether it is comparable to a construction used in residential building.
