AUSTRALIA'S FIRST CHOICE INSULATION COMPANY

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST CHOICE INSULATION COMPANY

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Wall Insulation

Which R-value Should I choose for Wall Insulation Batts?

At No Gap Insulation, we recommend that you consider upgrading your wall insulation to at least one ‘R-value’ higher than the mandatory specifications on your report. Furthermore, we also recommend installing internal wall insulation, both from an acoustic perspective and a thermal perspective. The acoustic considerations relate mainly to the isolation of sound between rooms. The thermal considerations are usually less important internally, since the main purpose of thermal wall insulation is to restrict temperature transfer between the outside and inside of the house. However within the house itself, you might find that there is a case to insulate the internal walls, for example if some areas of the home are likely to be used a lot more than others – you may wish to heat or cool only the kitchen and living areas during the day, and heat and cool only the bedrooms and bathrooms during the evening and night time. A properly designed air-conditioning system, partnered with internal wall insulation, will enable you to achieve this with as little wasted energy as possible.

Reasons to Install Wall Insulation Batts

Between 15-25% of heat losses and gains can occur through the walls of an uninsulated home. The only time to insulate your walls is during building or renovation, so it is important to install the right products in the walls of your home. The main thing to keep in mind when considering your  internal and external wall insulation options, is that once the walls are lined, the job it done, and you won’t be in a hurry to dismantle the wall to redo the wall insulation. So, it’s imperative to ensure that
1. The correct R-value is installed the first time
2. The insulation is installed with a neat finish, with minimum air-gaps.
New houses will usually be specified as having a mandatory R-Value installed in the ceilings and the walls. The basis for this is the requirement for all new homes to meet the minimum energy efficiency standards – and insulation in walls place an important role in achieving this standard.

Which Wall Insulation Batts are best?

Earthwool vs Pink Batts vs SCG
You are faced with several insulation brands and do not know what to choose. In the end the biggest factor to consider is what R-value to use. Knauf Earthwool, Fletcher Pink Batts and SCG are all good quality brands, each with their own benefits.
 
The important thing to know is that products with the same R-value all have the same insulating performance if installed as specified. The density (or acoustic performance) might be different, but the thermal performance is the same. An R2.0 Knauf Earthwool Insulation Batt will provide the same thermal resistance as an R2.0 Fletcher Pink Batt or an R2.0 Bradford Gold Batt.

Minimum Wall Insulation Batt Requirements

The required total R-value for the building fabric of your home will vary depending on where you live in Australia. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) determines the minimum wall insulation requirements for your climate zone. Another influencing factor is how high your building site is above the Australian Height Datum (the mean sea level used for altitude measurement in Australia). We also sell wall insulation to customers living in New Zealand.