There’s a huge misconception around insulation and the key role it plays in the fabric of the buildings that surround us.
To this day, despite our fluctuating climate, a large percentage of tradies still don’t understand how and why it’s important that we adhere to specification around insulation and its installation.
As a qualified builder, it’s my belief we need to do more to better our homes’ performance with the long-term goal of reducing our reliance on mechanical intervention – such as aircon and heating – and saving you money in the form of reduced power bills.
Here are five reasons why insulation is important year-round.
1. Saves you money by lowering power bills
Insulation keeps the warm in and the cold out and obviously vice versa in summer. It’s worth paying the small amount extra when building to ensure your house is properly insulated.
The extra money you pay insulating your home properly will pay itself times over in the future. Picture: Getty
2. Improved internal comfort
Insulated homes help keep the internal temperature constant meaning the internal environment is much more pleasant year-round.
3. Lower your carbon footprint
Less mechanical intervention means less bills, means less energy, means less carbon emissions.
4. Absorbs sound
Insulation also helps reduce noise; meaning it can assist in helping with a better night’s sleep protecting you from outside noise or even help control internal noise from pets or noisy children.
It’s not just about temperature – insulating your home also helps reduce noise.
5. Good for the planet
Lower power bills equal less mechanical intervention and reduced greenhouse gases. For under 1% of total build costs, spending more on insulation makes sense.
Another important fact about insulation is that it can be challenging to recycle and dispose of.
Older styles of fibreglass insulation are non-recyclable and therefore sit in landfill for years the world over so it’s important to remember when choosing insulation that you opt for one with recyclable content.
This will not only reduce its embedded energy but if it’s made of recyclable material there’s a higher chance it can be recycled at the end of its life span.
