Wall insulation falls into two categories ‘Retro-fitted insulation’ and ‘Traditional insulation’.
Wall insulation is the second most important area you should look at, after your ceiling insulation but before your windows, particularly since an estimated 30-40% of the heat in your home is lost through the walls.
Retro-fitted wall insulation is perhaps the least known and applies to most older properties. If your house was built before 1990, it probably has no wall insulation!
Insultech Insulation uses a product called CosyWall Insulation to Retro-fitted wall insulation. CosyWall Insulation can only be installed by trained, licensed professionals and requires the certified CosyWall installer drilling small holes into your inner or outer walls and blowing in the insulation.
Yes, and No. As long as you have a cavity or space that can fit insulation that is over 60mm deep then the type of wall does not matter. For unlined cavities (no gib) Insultech uses a traditional segment or biscuit type insulation. For Lined cavities Insultech uses a product called CosyWall insulation.
CosyWall Insulation (CWI) is an external wall insulation system (EWCIS) designed to insulate the walls of older homes. It provides thermal and acoustical insulation to existing wall cavities and is installed without the cost and hassle of removing the internal linings. Installation is done via small holes through the external cladding, or from inside via holes in the internal linings. The result is high installed R-values and a warm cosy home.
Traditional Insulation or Unlined cavity insulation is usually installed during construction of the house but can also be installed during renovation where the builder removes the wall linings and puts insulation segments into the walls before relining the walls. Overall this is usually a very costly option as Gib, skirting and scotia all need to be replaced.
While Wall insulation is a great way to save money, it is by no means the first form of insulation you should look at around your home.
If your property has a roof with attic space then Roof insulation is the first thing you should look at, particularly since an estimated 40-50% of the heat in your home is lost through the roof space.
Roof insulation is cheap to buy, easy to install (you can even do it yourself) and can save you serious amounts of money over the years.
Even if you already have roof insulation in place it may be worth checking whether you have the recommended levels installed. The recommended depth for insulation is approximately 140mm – 180mm depending on where in New Zealand you live. If your roof insulation was installed more than 15 years ago there’s a good chance it’s less than what’s required and may need a top up.
