How Insulating Your Home Will Save You Money This Winter

It’s winter, which means things are getting nippy and it’s tempting to run the heater full blast all day long. Did you know that insulation can keep your home feeling warmer and help you save money on your power bill?

Naturally, the lovely warm air inside your home will try and escape until your home is the same temperature as it is outside. However, when you have insulation installed, it slows down the flow of heat to keep your home at a more comfortable temperature. What’s more, when you turn on the heater, it won’t have to work as hard to keep your home warm. This is how insulation can help you reduce your energy consumption and save money on heating bills this winter.

Need more details? Let’s take a closer look at 5 ways that home insulation can help you save money this winter.

Also Read – Which Walls In My Home Should Have Acoustic Insulation

1.  Reduce heat loss from your roof

If you’re wondering “where is insulation most important?”, the answer is the roof! That’s because the roof is responsible for as much as 35% of a home’s heat loss and gain, which is more than anywhere else. When you install quality roof insulation, you help prevent heat from escaping through the roof, making it easier to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.

Two types of roof insulation that are effective year round are:

• Roof Insulation Batts – these are pre-cut to fit most Australian homes and are easy to handle if you want to install them as a DIY project. They are usually made from glasswool (recycled glass materials), polyester (recycled plastic materials) or rockwool (crushed rock materials), and have very effective thermal properties.

• Reflective Foil Insulation – this is a type of insulation with foil backing which is very effective at reducing the transfer of heat to keep your home warmer in winter. It is also particularly effective during summer as the reflective layer reflects radiant heat from the sun away from your home.

2. Prevent heat loss through your walls

Second to the roof/ceiling, the external walls of a home are responsible for the greatest amount of heat loss in a home, as much as 20% Wall insulation can make a tangible difference to temperature regulation inside your home. As with roof insulation, batts and reflective foil insulation can be used within the external walls.

If you want to prevent noises from outside, such as loud traffic or nearby neighbours, entering your home, you should consider installing acoustic wall insulation. Acoustic insulation products can play an important role in creating a peaceful and private indoor environment.

Can I install insulation without removing drywall?

The best time to install wall insulation is during building or renovation before the wall is sealed. That’s why it’s important to make the right decision while your wall cavity is exposed. Investing in high quality products with the right R-Value will help your home have better temperature regulation which will lead to savings on your electricity bill.

3. Keep your floors warmer

When you walk around your house in winter, are your floors uncomfortably cold to touch? If your floors aren’t insulated, you could be losing 10-20% of your home’s heat through them. Older homes with a raised platform design are especially vulnerable to heat loss through the floor.

How effective is underfloor insulation?

Although you might not be losing as much heat from your floors compared to the roof and external walls, underfloor insulation can make a significant impact on your home’s ability to regulate temperatures. Those who install underfloor insulation often see a return on their investment within the first few years of installation.

What are the best types of underfloor insulation?

Some of the most commonly used underfloor insulation products include:

• Polyester Rolls – These are pulled between floor joists and then stapled in place without gaps.

• Glasswool Underfloor Insulation Batts – These are easy to handle and install under floorboards using strapping.

• Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) – XPS is often laid before the concrete foundation is poured to provide an effective insulating barrier between the floor and ground.

4. Create climate zones

Coupled with insulation in the rest of the home, insulation in the internal walls can help your heater do its job more effectively. If you spend a lot of time in one room of your home, heating up the entire home is inefficient and costly. Instead, if you close the doors to the room you wish to heat, insulation can help prevent the warm air from escaping so that your heater doesn’t have to work as hard.

Internal wall insulation can also help make your home quieter and more peaceful. Specialised acoustic insulation effectively reduced sound transfer between rooms of a home without compromising on thermal performance.

5. Maximise benefits with a higher R-Value

To maximise the benefits of thermal insulation, you should upgrade to the highest R-Value that you can afford. R-Value refers to the effectiveness of an insulation product to resist heat transfer. The higher the R-Value, the more effective a product is, and the greater energy savings you can experience.

What R-Value do I need for the roof/ceiling?

At Pricewise Insulation, we recommend R5.0 or R6.0 for those living in cooler climates such as Melbourne, Sydney or Adelaide. For those in warmer locations such as Perth, Brisbane or northern NSW, we recommend at least R4.0.

What R-Value do I need for walls?

For Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, we recommend at least R2.5 for the external walls. Those living in Perth, Brisbane or northern NSW should get a minimum of R2.0 for external walls.

What R-Value do I need for underfloor?

Underfloor insulation should not be less than R1.0. For cooler climates, it is worth investing in underfloor insulation of at least R2.0 for increased thermal performance and power bill savings.