What is embodied energy?

Embodied energy

Embodied energy refers to the total energy consumed in the production and manufacturing processes required to meet building-grade insulation standards. This energy is commonly expressed in kiloWatt Hours per cubic metre (kWh/m³). Among various insulation options, wool insulation stands out as having the lowest embodied energy. This characteristic allows it to offset its energy input in a remarkably short timeframe, ultimately resulting in greater energy savings than the energy invested in its production. In contrast, many widely used insulation materials may take years to reach this energy break-even point, with some never achieving it at all. Specifically, the embodied energy of Sheep Wool Insulation is 15 kWh/m³ (54 MJ/m³), which is less than half that of cellulose insulation and only one-sixth of that of mineral wool.