Keep energy costs down with wood

Energy prices keep on rising. Since October 2021, we have been paying considerably more than we are used to for a cubic meter of gas or a kilowatt hour of electricity. This price increase is continuing sharply this year as well: gas and energy prices are expected to rise by more than 250% compared to June 2021. But luckily for you, insulating is something anyone can learn! We are happy to give you a few tips on how to save on your energy bill. Insulate your home using wood!

Wood is a raw material with excellent natural thermal insulation. No wonder it is such a popular building material. Compared to brick, which is by far the most widely used material in construction, the thermal insulating capacity of wood is more than five times greater! Wood even insulates 10 times better than concrete. When you turn on the heating in winter, the brick or concrete walls of your home first absorb a large part of the heat. With wood, it is exactly the other way around: because wood conducts heat much less than stone and concrete, the indoor air of your home is heated directly.

A wooden home does not only keep your house warm in winter, it also keeps it cool in summer. Unlike stone or concrete, wood itself hardly retains any heat, so the home also cools down quickly. In addition, wood in the home simply feels warmer than stone or concrete. That also means you can turn the thermostat down a degree in winter, which ultimately results in a lower energy bill.

Besides its good insulating capacity, wood has many more advantages. Wood is sustainable and environmentally friendly, because it is fully recyclable and biodegradable. Wood also has a beautiful, warm look that never gets old. Even so, we do not recommend completely rebuilding your house in wood. Although wood may insulate better, a house made of brick or concrete certainly has advantages over a wooden cabin. A house made of brick or concrete is much more resistant to weather conditions such as rain, wind and frost, requires less maintenance and is more fire-safe.

We are happy to recommend the best of both worlds: leave the brick or concrete as it is, but add wood to your home! A lot is possible these days. For example, you can choose a wooden exterior wall construction: with this construction, wood is fixed to the outside of the brick or concrete wall. A space of 10 centimeters is left between the wood and the concrete or brick, which is filled with insulation material. Such a construction insulates as much as 1.5 times better than an insulated brick cavity wall.

You can also insulate on the inside of a brick or concrete wall. Installing a wooden wall panel not only gives your home a beautiful, warm look, it also really heats up faster. The wooden covering on the wall prevents the heat from being absorbed into the walls, so the room warms up more quickly. A wooden wall panel also has a positive effect on the acoustics of a room, because wood naturally dampens sound. So a wooden wall panel is not only a feast for the eyes, but for the ears as well.

Taking good care of the wood is essential if you want it to last a long time. By treating the wood, you protect it against moisture, dirt and damage: three factors that could cause the wood to lose its insulating function. A wood treatment also lets you give the wood the warm look you want.

Whether you are installing wood indoors or outdoors for insulation, we have the right treatment for every type of wood. Want to treat wood indoors? Then you can choose from our wide range of indoor wood treatments. Osmo Nederland has many different products in its range to protect wooden surfaces indoors. Osmo Nederland's products consist of a natural combination of natural oils and waxes that provides excellent protection for all kinds of wooden surfaces.

Does the wood need to be treated outdoors? Then you can choose from our many outdoor wood treatments. Osmo's outdoor wood treatments give outdoor wood the best protection against sun, wind and weather. Each product creates a different look: from an untreated appearance to a fully opaque color.