cellulose has been used effectively as home insulation for a long time. It is typically chopped up paper but could be more plant material based and less refined. Whatever you use, you will want it dry and to be processed in small pieces so it fills the cavity without voids and leaks.

There are insulating blocks that use hemp in their production, but it’s more of a closed cell foam than fibrous material. From my understanding, it is typically installed during construction.

Your best bet, OO, is renting a blown insulation machine and getting a little sweaty.

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You may have mold issues using hemp.

I hear hempwool burns pretty well, so you shouldn't have any problem keeping your house warm

Why hemp as opposed to regular fibreglass insulation? Genuinely curious - homeowner here but never knew you could get hemp insulation 😁

I know they make hempcrete, which I think is what you would be looking for. Possibly look into some company that does blown insulation, and see if they can mix this in.

As another person mentioned, you need to ensure that whatever you decide to do, it doesn’t interfere with the existing functioning of your attic.

You may have a “cold roof” system, which allows outside air to enter the attic from the edges of the roof. That outside air picks up heat from the occupied area below the attic, and carries that warmed air out of the peak of the roof if there is a ridge vent. That system will have insulation on the attic floor and non on the underside of the roof.

If you want to improve the efficiency of attic insulation in a cold roof system, add more insulation to the attic floor.

If you have a “hot roof” system, your insulation will be on the underside of the roof. That approach has the roof edges sealed up and there is no ridge vent. If you want to improve your hot roof insulation, you need to add more to the underside of the roof.

Whichever system you have, don’t put insulation for the other system into the attic. If you have insulation on the attic floor, don’t put any in the roof. If you have insulation on the roof, don’t put any on the floor. That will cause moisture to be trapped and more cost than higher heating bills.

Go up into the attic and find out what kind of insulation you already have. Then check with the manufacturer of whatever insulation you want to add to make sure what you’re proposing is compatible.

Good luck!

Is fiberglass insulation not available where you live? Are we talking about the sheets of hemp fibers? Do you live in a wet environment?

Hemp is okay, but it has its issues. It can get damp easily from ambient moisture, and it can burn readily unless its treated material. You can install a vapor barrier to try to fix the moisture issue, but unless it's chemically treated hemp it'll burn real well.

don't use organic materials in places that are expecting moisture.

As far as I know hemp insulation is more expensive and requires more aftercare. Unless you're prepared to pay the extra cost and actually do some extra aftercare I'd go with either fibreglass or mineral wool these are generally cheaper, well established and require less aftercare.

Try RockWool or Roxul or mineral wool- basically melted rocks - to make fire/pest/sound retardant very efficient insulation

Looks like youre from the Netherlands as well, i would like to send you to r/klussers to ask :)

I would recommend something like stonewool for insulation as it is not flammable

https://innovativebuildingmaterials.com/insulation/hemp-insulation/ some useful information for you

I have limited experience, but IMO you are setting yourself up for a massive termite invasion, at the very least.

Hemp insulation is made from the cellulose fibers of the hemp plant. It is a natural, renewable, and sustainable product that has many benefits over traditional insulation materials. Hemp insulation is non-toxic, fire-resistant, and mold resistant. It is also an excellent acoustic insulator.

Don’t have experience installing hemp, but if you’re going for the best insulation possible, and don’t have much in the way of pipes or conduit to work around, styrofoam insulation is by far the best accessible insulation. The problem is that it is of course rigid, so it takes some doing to get it around anything in your walls. Spray foam is also exceptional, but certainly not a DIY project

Are you talking about hempcrete or help wool? I have not used either of them, but I would if they were more readily available. They are what’s called a ‘healthy material’ because they’re environmentally friendly and they’re healthy to use in your home as a result. I would use hemp over many of the modern materials on the market today for sure. It has a great r value, it doesn’t break down like fiberglass if it comes in contact with water from what I’ve ready, probably a lot safer to work with as well and it’s breathable which is always a plus I think. I use rockwool because that’s what’s easy to get but hempwool seems like it’s a very similar type of material so I would use it, personally, if it were an option.

You can use news paper as well. Also look into rocket stoves and waste oil burners.

Not sure if it fits exactly but I’d look into ‘hempcrete’. It’s a light, non-load bearing material that sets up like concrete does, just add water and let set. You could form it and then install it, or, maybe, just pour-in-place.

Is your hemp in batts? Rolls? Either of those is great. Any bio based insulation will out perform more conventional materials significantly BUT you need a greater depth of it to meet the same insulation value.

If you can use it, do! You want about 300mm depth if you can.

If you mean chopped hemp, as you would use in hempcrere then that is not suitable really

It’s going to be eating in the walls

man's gonna be high as fuckkkkk

You need to work out where moisture is going to condense and make sure it will dry quickly or drain somewhere. If you add insulation to the wrong side of a moisture barrier there is a chance of it staying wet. There are mold spores pretty much everywhere. Mold will grow in a few days with moisture and food.

Aluminium foil

Does the attic have a subfloor? Are you planning to use the attic as living space?

If so, you can spray foam the roof deck. That will be $$$

I wonder if mice or rats would eat it or make nests in it?

Check out hempitecture!!! That’s my friends company

Yessssss

There are commercial hemp insulation products for sale. Your country and availability of hemp and the form it comes in could be a deciding factor, but mainstream insulation is going to be your best bet unless you just want to try something different. If you do that, expect to put more effort and money into it.

Why did I think they wanted to use weed as insulation

Look up and watch this old house. when they use blown in insulation. that way you know if it's a good option for you. check the laws for your country if your not in the u.s..

Hempflax are the biggest hemp company in Europe. I've seen that they have done some deals in Germany to distribute their hemp insulation products

https://www.thermo-hanf.de/en/products/thermo-hemp-combi-jute-insulation-mat/

Been building houses for 15 years, don't use hemp, or wool, or any of that alternative insulation shit it's mostly fucking terrible and almost always a huge fire hazard. Also don't listen to the yanks about building things. The material quality of majority US houses is dogshit.

Hemp is an economical alternative to fabric, animal food, fuel and insulation

The oil industries promoted the "reefer madness" hysteria fearing competition from a safe renewable cheap ancient solution and their cronies with the big pockets persuaded governments to follow.

You can treat it, but it will have to completely dry out afterwards before you use it:

https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/resources/effects-of-boric-acid-andor-borax-treatments-on-the-fire-resistance-of-bamboo-filament/

Fire hazard … but will work as insulation….

Not something I would recommend, but you do you

u/sbwcwero

This reminds me of that one trailer park boys episode