Since the early 1970s, the insulation standards in the Building Regulations have been progressively introduced across Australia. The minimum insulation levels in the BCA vary according to climate zones and are expressed as total “R-Values” (this means each building element in either the ceiling, wall, or floor has an R-Value which when added together gives a total “R-Value). Currently, ceilings range from R-4.1 – 6.3, for walls R-2.8-3.8 and for floors R-1.0-3.25.
If you’re unsure about the levels of insulation in your home you can arrange an inspection of your property by an approved insulation installer.
We recommend purchasing the highest R- Value that your budget allows.
Glasswool has been used globally for over 70 years and over 50 years of research has not found any cause and effect link between glasswool insulation and long term health problems. When using glasswool in Australia look for the EUCEB and or FBS-1 logo for quality assurance.
Some types of glasswool insulation are also made without using a phenol formaldehyde binder, making them even safer to use in your home.
No. Because glasswool insulation is made using glass it will not attract or provide a food source for rodents or insects.
There are currently no national insulation subsidies. Some state governments are currently developing policies to encourage homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
Glasswool insulation has many benefits such as:
1. Making your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
2. Making your home more energy efficient – this means making savings on your energy bills.
3. Reducing the transfer of unwanted noise from outside and between adjoining rooms.
Yes. By combining insulation, which reduces energy use, with a Solar PV system – homes can get even better value from their investment.
Adding insulation can reduce the up-front costs for the Solar PV system and can also improve the payback period for the system.
The cost depends on the size of your house and whether you have existing insulation. We advise that you aim for the highest R-Value your budget will allow. Depending on the size of your home, it can take around three years to realise the payback* through savings on your energy bill.
This will vary on the type of building you have and where you live in Australia, but generally to meet the current Building Code of Australia requirements you need at least R-4.0 ceiling insulation. We advise that you aim for the highest R-Value your budget will allow.
The existing insulation may not have much insulation value, but every little bit counts and there’s no point wasting what you already have. If the existing insulation is level with the ceiling joists, you can add the new layer of insulation over the top at right angles to the original layer – this creates a continuous layer of insulation and helps prevent thermal bridging through the joists.
We advise to aim for the highest R-Value your budget will allow.
Yes, you will need to clear the ceiling of any stored objects before the insulation is installed. And who knows, you may even find some valuable, hidden treasures too!
You or your installer can also lay insulation boards called ClimaFoam® along with an 18mm layer of chipboard deck on top to provide storage space. These insulation boards are made from extruded polystyrene and are designed to be placed on top of the ceiling joists instead of the glasswool insulation. ClimaFoam® is a perfect solution for storage space in the ceiling space as they have high compressive strength and provide great thermal performance. You will need a ceiling hatch which is minimum 600mm wide. Having R-2.5 glasswool insulation installed between the joists plus a layer of 50mm ClimaFoam® board with a chipboard deck laid top and bottom gives the same thermal performance as installing R-4.0 glasswool insulation.
Generally it should take half a day for a team of installers to insulate a ceiling.
Please read more detailed information about installing ceiling insulation before carrying out any work. Having read the installation instructions it is important that you and your installation partner work at your own pace to ensure the installation is done safely and effectively, avoid being in the ceiling space during the hottest part of the day.
The cost depends on the size of your house and whether you have existing insulation. We advise that you aim for the highest R-Value your budget will allow.
There are two ways you can retrofit wall insulation – from the outside or from the inside. For more information, watch our wall insulation install video.
Some double brick cavity houses are also suitable candidates for blow-in insulation (Supafil®) where silicone treated glasswool insulation is injected directly into the brick cavity. Making it an ideal solution for increasing the energy efficiency of older homes where it is impossible to install batts.
Please note that blow-in insulation is only suitable for double brick masonry construction and cannot be used on brick veneer or weatherboard houses. If you are interested in blow-in insulation for your home or to check its suitability contact us to request more information.
The cost depends on the size of your house. We advise that you aim for the highest R-Value your budget will allow.
Underfloor insulation is installed from under the house and is placed hard up against the floorboards between the floor joists. It can be stapled or strapped to ensure it remains in place for the life of the building. For more information, watch our underfloor insulation install video.
