What is the Best Insulation For Your Home, Ceiling or Roof?

Selecting the best insulation for your home or roof is not as simple as as it sounds. There are many types of insulation on the market and all types of insulation products have their pros and cons.

As most insulation installers only specialise in 1 or 2 insulation products you are bound to get very contrasting views as to which insulation is the best. The reality is few in the industry actually agree which insulation is best!

So when comparing insulation it is probably best to look which insulation is best for you - to meet your specific home and climate needs than which insulation is actually the best insulation product.

Comparing Insulation Types

When comparing insulation you need will need to consider a number of factors:

* Your Ceiling Space - Access to roof space, whether your roof is flat or pitched, uniformity of ceiling joists, whether you plan to use the ceiling space after insulation for storage etc etc. All have an impact on what is the best insulation for you.

* Acoustic Properties - some materials are selected for their superior acoustic, as well as thermal properties

Insulation R-Value = R-value 

Lets gets one factor out of the equation. R-value is a scientific measure of how effective an insulation material is at stopping the transfer of heat. You need to meet at a minimum your local council requirements which for most Australia is between an r-value of 3 - 3.5.  If your insulation material meets a specific r-value then essentially you have the same heating and cooling properties as another insulation with the same r-value.

Location/Climate
As a rule of thumb bulk insulation including fibrelgass, cellulose, polyester and wool - work better in colder climates and reflective insulation works better in hotter climates. Obviously for most of Australia the needs for insulation lands some where in between. 

Bulk insulation will also help to reduce the transfer of heat in hot climates and reflective foil insulation will assist in the loss of heat in colder climates. But if your homes needs are weighted more on the colder side then one of the bulk insulation will work more effectively and conversely reflective insulation will work better if your needs are more to protect from the heat of the sun.

Environmental Impact - most insulation bar reflective is significantly made from from recycled material which means all insulation is relatively environmentally friendly as they use waste products that may well end up in landfill. However the difference in Co2 cost in production differs massively. For example to make fibreglass insulation requires temperatures in excess of 1500 Celcius as opposed to Cellulose that requires minimal co2 emissions to produce... Consequently cellulose which is made about 70% recycled paper and simple manufacturing process is considered the most environmental friendly insulation product.

Health Impact - For most people they do not really come into contact with their insulation once it is installed and so has no major impact on their health but for people that are particularly prone to allergies or asthma they may want to install insulation that is less irritant. For this the best insulation is Polyester, Wool & Reflective Insulation

Insulation Price - The price of insulation varies considerably from one product to another. The government rebate covers you to $1200 which for many homes will cover the whole insulation but if your homes is particularly large or complex due to such factors as remote areas, roof access, flat roofs, cathedral ceilings or large number of down lights you will probably be quoted more than the maximum rebate amount.

The following table was produced by the government based on installations between 1 July and 30 August. Whilst lobby groups from various industry groups have disputed the results stating it does not take into account all the variables in installing insulation or different products on the market which may cost more. At best it gives an indication of the price comparison of the relative cost of different type of insulation products.

Conclusion
All insulation products currently on the market will improve the heating and cooling properties of your home. So selecting the best insulation depends a lot more on your specific home and personal needs.
The government recommends you get 2 quotes so you obtain a range of options for your homes insulation needs.

Learn more about the rebate by clicking on the steps

 Or go directly to registered insulation installers in your area.

• Insulation Installers In - Brisbane, Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast>>
• Insulation Installers In - Melbourne, Geelong, Peninsula>>
• Insulation Installers In - Sydney, Central Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong >>

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