For the first time in Kentucky, a home is being insulated with hempcrete. According to an ABC36 report, the Lexington home, on York St., is being designed by the North Limestone Community Development Corporation.
“Basically what we are doing here is demonstrating how hemp can be used as a building material, specifically as an insulation,” said Kris Konn, director of design and construction for the development company said in the report. “So we are taking the ground up hemp stems, which aren’t good for anything else, and we are mixing them with lime and water and making this lightweight concrete mix. We are packing it into the forms up there, and that’s going to be the insulation for this house.”
Travis Robinson, a member of the North Limestone Community Development Corporation board, said that hemp doesn’t require as many pesticides as other crops and that hempcrete is eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, and fire and insect resistant. The product also allows moisture to move through it, allowing it to stay cooler in the summer.
“Hemp has had a history here in Kentucky and we haven’t been able to do it sooner,” Robinson said.
According to the report, lawmakers are considering reintroducing a bill that would allow large-scale hemp farming in the state.