Ecohouse built with straw

Two three-bedroom ecohomes are being built with straw to combat the big, bad wolf of rising energy costs, it has been reported.

Hotel and restaurant owner Peter Rowan started his self build project in order to create homes for his staff and he will be using over 500 bales of straw to build the semi-detached properties.

Mr Rowan claims straw is a "completely sustainable resource" that can be used to make "sturdy, well-insulated buildings".

"It is a means of building that has been around for hundreds of years," he furthers.

As the material used is a renewable resource, Mr Rowan proclaims that the building method is also cost effective.

It has been reported that the use of straw will provide thermal five times the level of insulation that is required by current building regulation standards.

The Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth in mid-Wales and the Carymoor Environmental Centre at Castle Cary in Somerset are both good examples of straw bale buildings, states strawbale-building.co.uk.