Timber, the Sustainable Choice
RENEWABLE MATERIAL
Timber is the ultimate renewable building material. Other conventional building materials such as bricks and concrete rely on the extraction of finite raw materials from the earth
As long as new trees are planted to replace those harvested, timber will continue to be available. At Norfolk Timber Frames we only use timber from accredited sustainable sources.
TRAVEL DISTANCES
Timber is milled all over the world and is often used close to where it is produced. This promotes local economies and reduces the energy needed to transport materials long distances. Talk to us about the benefit of choosing European-grown timber.
LOW PRODUCTION ENERGY
It takes very little energy to convert the wood in trees to the timber used in building. This means that the embodied energy in timber is low. In fact it is the lowest of almost all common building materials.
CARBON STORE
As trees ‘lock in’ carbon dioxide, choosing timber can be seen as means of combating global warming and the greenhouse effect. The increased use of timber as a building material can further encourage the growth of forests.
Using timber in buildings stores the carbon for as long as the building stands or the timber is used.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Timber is a natural insulator and has some of the best insulating properties of any construction material. While a timber frame allows more space for insulation than a brick building.
A better insulated home requires less energy to heat and cool, which typically means less fossil fuel use. Studies show that wood and timber frame houses significantly outperform steel and concrete.
