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How To Use Straw Bales To Keep Your Home Warm In The Winter
By KYLE SCHURMAN
The average American spends about $2,000 on energy usage each year, and 10% to 20% of it simply goes to waste because of drafts. Adding insulation can help, but it isn't cheap.
You can use hay or straw bales as a cheaper alternative to insulate your home, although they aren't quite as insulative as some of the more conventional materials like fiberglass.
Homeowners can use these bales as insulation inside walls, ceilings, and attics. If you have a crawlspace or a foundation with gaps, surround the home with straw bales.
If you want to fit the bales inside a wall, you can use a chainsaw to reshape them and make them fit. You also can place loose straw inside plastic bags to fit odd-shaped areas.
One downside is that hay bales can weigh up to 50 pounds, making them difficult to transport. Also, using straw as insulation is more of a fire hazard than fiberglass rolls.
The bales could introduce dust into your home versus using fiberglass, which could set off allergies. More than one-quarter of U.S. adults have symptoms of this type of allergy.