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, Pink Batts and Bradford Gold Batts 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.

 

 You might have noticed a difference in pricing between the R2.5 wall batts and R2.5 ceiling batts. Achieving an R2.5 rating within a 90mm product requires an increase in product density, hence the higher manufacturing costs. A typical R2.5 ceiling insulation batt is 125mm thick and not suitable for a wall cavity. Trying to compress the insulation into a 90mm cavity will cause the plaster to bow and will also reduce the thermal performance of the batt. If bulk insulation is compressed, so are the air pockets within it that provide the insulation. This means it will not work as effectively as it should, hence this approach is never recommended.

Pricewise Insulation are the wall insulation specialists. We deliver to building sites and homes right across Australia. Metro orders are shipped within 1-2 business days. For urgent deliveries please give our team a call on 1300 729 639.

 

Upgrading to an R2.5 wall insulation batt will improve both the thermal and acoustic performance of your home. These batts are rigid and fit snugly between the wooden joists to achieve an optimal thermal finish. R2.5HD Knauf Earthwool and R2.5HD Fletcher Pink Soundbreak are high density products with higher acoustic ratings than your typical R1.5 or R2.0 wall batts. 

 

Shade from trees, sails, eaves and window awnings are just a few passive design techniques used to increase building performance. Building orientation is another important consideration. A house that is fully exposed to the sun will experience a build-up of heat that the insulation will keep in and create an ‘oven’ effect. You can read more about passive design here.

It’s quite simple to calculate how many bags of insulation you will need for your project. The basic steps are as follows.

• Measure the total area to be insulated

• Deduct any other areas not requiring insulation such as windows and doors

• Multiply the number by 0.9, to allow for the fact that the framing also takes up around 10% of the total area to be insulated

• Divide this number by the number of m2 in a bag of insulation

 

You have a house which is to be insulated with R2.0 Earthwool Wall Batts. The wall joists are at 450mm centres, so you will need the 430mm wide batts.

• Wall area is 185m2

• Deduct 45m2 of windows and doors = 140m2

• 140 x 0.9 = 126m2

• One bag of Earthwool R2.0/430mm contains 15.9m2 of external wall insulation

• 126m2 divided by 15.9m per bag = 7.9 packs

• Simply round up to the nearest pack = 8 packs

 

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.