Only on-site earth has a lower energy factor. Strawbales are a sustainable resource, renewed annually as part of the grain harvest. Even if they were not used for construction they would still be produced. Strawbales are currently burnt, causing huge amounts of air pollution. In California, for example it is estimated that the burning of rice and wheat straw produces more then double the amount of greenhouse emissions than power production for the entire state.
Strawbale construction turns a waste product into additional income for farmers.
The use of strawbale walls also significantly reduces the amount of timber required in a building Some questions we imagine you may wish to ask. Strawbale walls have withstood bushfires unscathed. Fire safety testing carried out extensively in the USA, Canada and Mexico shows results better then conventional construction. Only dry bales are used for construction. Once assembled with moisture barriers at top and bottom, bales are rendered with a range of products which allow the wall to breath.