Author: emdagency

The need to improve warmth and dryness of existing residential dwellings is important for both homeowners and landlords. The first step in making such improvements is widely recognised as the installation of ceiling insulation.Over the last 20 years governments have invested in campaigns to encourage the installation of insulation and provided subsidies for households and landlords to retrofit insulation into residential dwellings, but still many remain under insulated.

Homeowners and landlords should seek information and advice when they want to improve the warmth and dryness of their residential properties. The initial decision to retrofit insulation should always focus on ceiling insulation. The product type and performance should include the appropriateness to application and relevance to climate and client requirements.

 Safe-R and our team of advisors can offer advice and support to make the best decisions and help clients make the most appropriate actions to improve the warmth and dryness of their New Zealand residential properties. At the point that property owners may be deciding to retrofit ceiling insulation, they can contact us for a free building insulation assessment.

A large proportion of New Zealand homes require insulation to enable them to be warmer, drier and healthier. There is a range of people in the market who provide information and advice to consumers about insulation with these people driven by a range of motivations from those who are selling products through to those who are providing impartial advice on insulation and whole of house solutions.

Homeowners and landlords (the consumers) need to know and take this into account before they decide how they will improve the warmth and dryness of their residential properties. They also need to consider the type and quality of information and advice provided to them.

Often the key driver of consumer choices in New Zealand is the cost of the insulation, i.e. its price weighed up against affordability and the benefits expected while they live in or rent their property. However, the main focus for those providing information and advice was typically compliance, product information and benefits.

 Caution should be taken when deciding which advice to follow, as there is no career or qualifications pathway for those working solely in the insulation field and this may contribute to advisers not being fully equipped to provide information and advice to consumers.

Training provided to those in the insulation industry is relatively minimal and reliant on individual organizations researching about products and standards, to acquire the knowledge required to inform consumers about the best solutions to bring about a warm, dry, healthy home. This information is reasonably expansive and technical with experience being one of the major contributing factors to a good consumer experience.

The policies that determine the “minimum” standards for insulation drive adviser and consumer behavior yet these can be complicated and inconsistent. Before you decide on the best New Zealand insulation option give the experienced team at Safe-R Insulation a call. Safe-R Insulation have been operating for over 30 years in the insulation industry and can provide you with sound advice and a free assessment of your homes thermal performance.

There have been changes to the rules concerning foil insulation New Zealand.Since 1 July 2016 a simple repair, such as re-stapling a piece of torn foil back into place, could earn a fine of up to $200,000.

Earlier this year (2016) the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (the Ministry) announced that the installation and repair of foil insulation in residential buildings with an existing electrical installation has been banned. The reason for this is due to safety concerns with the method of attaching the foil. Stapling and nailing the insulation to floor or ceiling joists in often dark and cramped conditions can lead to electrical cables being accidentally pierced, and because the foil is metallic, it conducts electricity and can become live. During the past decade there have been a number of deaths and injuries in New Zealand due to this.

The ban covers anybody who is installing or repairing foil insulation in ceilings, walls and underfloor areas – including home handymen – and applies to all uses of foil even when it is not used as insulation (eg as a vapour barrier).

There are exceptions to the ban and they include properties (new houses or extensions) where the electrical wiring has not yet been installed, however foil installed in these circumstances will be unable to be repaired in the future. Foil that is bonded to rigid building materials such as plasterboard or polystyrene is not banned either as it tends to be installed in such a way that it is unlikely any live electrical cables could be accidentally pierced.

The Ministry suggests that homeowners engage the services of a licensed electrical worker if they have any concerns about previously installed foil in their building. WorkSafe NZ has also released information which will help protect people and property from harm due to incorrectly installed insulation.

It is considered an offence under Section 27 of the Building act to breach this ban and is punishable by a fine of up to $200,000.

IAONZ has long been concerned with the safety aspect of foil insulation products and is represented on a WorkSafe review looking at establishing an Electrical Code of Practise (ECP) for using foil as an insulation product.

Insulation New Zealand installers can be found by contacting us here

Jet Stream® MAX ceiling insulation works to keep the outside temperature out and the inside temperature in! Think of it like a lid on a chilly bin or vacuum flask, if you put hot food in it stays warm and if you put cold food in it stays cold. It works to stop/slow temperature transfer. The better the insulation grade or type of insulation product you use the less temperature transfer there is, so the better the insulation works. Inadequate ceiling insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes.

Correctly designed & fitted insulation:

1. Saves money and our nation’s limited energy resources
2. Makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house,
3. Ceilings warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Poorly insulated homes are usually cold & damp, with occupants crowded over a heater in one area to keep warm. Homes insulated with the full proven systems like Jet Stream MAX use similar amounts of energy to keep your whole home at a healthy, comfortable temperature.

Because heat rises ceiling insulation is the number one priority for a warm healthy home. Installation is fast and the benefits are instant. For a free ceiling insulation quotation contact our friendly team today.

The Insulation Association of New Zealand is a non-profit organisation whose primary role is to establish Insulation New Zealand performance benchmarks for the supply and installation of residential insulation. The Insulation Association of New Zealand (IAONZ) has been established, with the support of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), by representatives of some of the major manufacturers, suppliers and installers in the insulation sector.

The primary role of the IAONZ is to establish nationwide performance benchmarks for the supply and installation of New Zealand insulation. This is achieved through an IAONZ training programme, technical expertise into Insulation New Zealand Standards and supporting Association members.

The Quality Triangle is at the core of IAONZ and has guided our strategy. The triangle has three pillars;

• Quality Product

• Quality Training

• Quality Installation

All three of these aspects need to be satisfied in order to maintain the Associations goals which is an industry built on, and driven by, quality; if any one aspect is missing, the outcome will not be acceptable.

A new requirement to insulate ceiling and underfloor spaces of a rented property by 1 July 2019 is compulsory under the Residential Tenancies Act. More than 100,000 landlords now have less than a year to comply with new insulation requirements for rented properties and face a fine of up to $4000 – which could be paid to the tenant – for not doing so.

Surveys being carried out by IAONZ strongly suggest that over 100,000 still require ceilings and under floors to be insulated to the necessary standard. Members of IAONZ represent about 80% of New Zealand’s manufacturers and installers of insulation. The industry can insulate about 50-60,000 properties a year.

IAONZ members have only insulated approx. 40-45,000 rental properties over the past two years which suggests that landlords are leaving insulation to the last minute. MBIE estimated there are 180,000 rental properties in New Zealand of which some would have been completed by competent DIY’ers,  leaving a significant shortfall to be completed in less than 12 months.

The insulation must meet a certain standard, be installed correctly to NZS 4246 and meet fire safety and other regulations.

Please visit www.iaonz.co.nz for more information or contact us for a free rental assessment

We’ve all lived in damp and cold houses and flats. But new rules have arrived and all landlords will have to insulate their properties by 2019. The unfortunate part of the new legislation is that insulation in the walls is optional. In many cases this leaves the thermal envelope incomplete, and the unlucky tenant still living in a cold damp house.

It’s estimated up to 900,000 New Zealand homes are poorly insulated, and now we’re paying the price in so many ways. Most often the simple solution is insulation combined with a few minor behavioural changes. To make the biggest difference a home should have insulation in the ceiling, underfloor and walls.

Most councils require a permit for wall insulation, but the cost has reduced dramatically over the past few years. And landlords are starting to see the long term benefits of wall insulation, including lower tenant turn over and added capital value.

It’s a problem that needs addressing if families are going to cope.

Tips for New Zealand insulation in your house:

• Find out if your home is insulated or not. If your home was built prior to 1979, it is very unlikely for the walls to have been insulated when it was built.
• If your house was built between 1979 and 1991, insulation was optional, and most houses would have ceiling insulation only.
• If you have to prioritise your insulation, start with the ceiling, which accounts for a huge amount of heat loss, then look at the walls. You can insulate your walls from the outside via a dry fibre system such as CosyWall. It works by drilling small holes in the outside walls of the house and passing insulation through. The walls are then repaired. Just make sure you choose a certified professional.

Once you’ve sorted your walls, check your windows and doors before moving on to underfloor options. Follow up with behavioural changes (see sister article) and finally heating.

Some heating tips include:

• Learn how to use your heating and ventilation devices properly – read the manuals or research online;
• Turn heaters on early in the day – around 3pm;
• Regularly clean your heaters and make sure they’re not blocked by furniture;
• Close curtains as soon as the sun is no longer warming;
• Turn your bathroom fans off – a bathroom or kitchen fan can suck all the heat out of an average house in about an hour.

For more information or a free Wall Insulation assessment contact us now

All rentals must have ceiling and under floor insulation by mid-2019 following a law change introduced by former Housing Minister Nick Smith under the last National government. So New Zealand rental properties are legally required to be insulated by July 1 2019, but it’s unlikely many landlords will meet the government”s deadline.

IAONZ, a not for profit organisation representing 80% of Insulation New Zealand companies, said a survey of its members indicated tens of thousands of rentals would not be insulated on time.

And that could result in a $4000 pay-day for tenants who dob them slack landlords in. When caught and if the landlord is fined, the $4000 goes to the tenant.

The association’s survey of members, which is yet to be released, indicates tens of thousands of rentals won’t not be insulated by the deadline. In the next 12 months there are more rental homes that need to be insulated than the industry can get done by July 2019. That will leave a shortfall of tens of thousands of rentals (assuming the 2015 estimate of around 180,000 uninsulated rentals was correct).

Some landlords would have done the job themselves, which will be cheaper the cost of getting an installer in to do it. But badly-laid DIY insulation jobs may fail to stand up to scrutiny, if a tenant dobbed their landlord in. There will be no hiding a lack of insulation.

It is now a legal reuqirement for all new tenancy agreements to include an “insulation New Zealand” statement.

Please contact us to discuss the insulation New Zealand standards or to organise a free rental insulation quotation.

Insulation in houses

If your house gets cold or damp and your heating bills are higher than you’d like, then insulation could be the solution. Homes built in New Zealand since the 1970’s have had some degree of insulation so we know that you can’t have a warm, healthy house without it. Often people try to solve the problem with additional heating, but without insulation this is like trying to catch water using a sieve. Reducing the rate of heat loss is the most effective way to have a comfortable, energy efficient house. Has the cost of heating your house increased in the last few years? You can bet that the price will not decrease in the coming years. So do you want to keep throwing good money after bad? Investing in insulating your house makes sense and the savings you make can be put towards the cost of the insulation. Which would you prefer paying once for insulation, or paying extra on your fuel bills forever? And let’s not even think about the cost of additional doctors visits and heating appliances.

A typical 100 sqm house has around 75 sqm of exterior walls which, if not insulated, will allow 25-35% of the heat to escape. So you can see how completely insulating older houses (including exterior walls) will mean increased comfort and smaller fuel bills. Other benefits of insulation in houses include a reduction in condensation and the growth of mould. Your house will also be quieter. And let’s not forget the fact that insulation increases the value of your property. Doesn’t your family deserve the best?

If you’d like a warm house request a free assessment here

Underfloor insulation for wooden floors – Introducing Warmafloor!

Warmafloor insulation is a polyester fibre underfloor insulation for wooden floors manufactured specifically for placing between floor joists, against the underside of the floor. Warmafloor has been installed since 2002 and is tested to NZS4859 standards. This underfloor insulation for wooden floors has superior strength in both directions compared to some other typical polyester floor insulation blankets or batting.

The home insulation rolls are uniquely sized to facilitate handling in confined sub-floor spaces and can be torn readily to suit joist length providing great installed insulation R-values.

Homes with no underfloor insulation for wooden floors have a thermal resistance of R0.6, which can be improved to R1.5 or R1.8 with a Warmafloor insulation blanket system correctly fixed against the floor, between the floor joists (in most buildings with a continuous sub-floor perimeter wall). It also reduces floor draughts through flooring gaps between uncovered timber polished floors. Warmafloor underfloor insulation blanket is unaffected by humidity or water. Even if it is wetted, its thermal insulation resistance will be completely restored, when dried. Warmafloor underfloor insulation for wooden floors does not represent a health risk to installers or occupiers of insulated buildings and does not promote corrosion on metal building components.

The key to high performing underfloor insulation is:

1 – Easy to install

2 – Resistant to moisture

3 – Must be securely held in place

4 – Have a proven track record

5 – Meet H1 requirements

6 – Installation in line with the insulation Standard NZS4246

Warmafloor insulation has been designed to meet these key criteria. It is easy to install with no gaps and will remain in place for the expected lifetime of the building. For more information of Warmafloor or to receive a free assessment please call one of our friendly team on 0800 267 992 or visit our contact us page here.

LandLord Insulation Assessment of Existing Insulation

The minimum ceiling and underfloor insulation performance requirements for landlord insulation installed before 1 July 2016 are shown below.

Masonry minimum (Solid construction, including concrete block single-skin brick etc)

Ceiling R 1.5 – Underfloor R 0.9

Timber-framed and other construction minimum

Ceiling R 1.9 – Underfloor R 0.9

Rule of Thumb for Ceiling Insulation Installed before 1 July 2016

The following Rule of Thumb is designed to help people assess whether the existing landlord insulation is likely to comply with the RTA requirements. This applies to homes that have had insulation installed before 1 July 2016. Most homes built after 1 April 1978 should have had insulation installed that was specified to meet the above Construction R-values when it was installed – the specifications should be on the building permit documentation at your Local Council. Homes built after 1 April 1978 with insulation which met thermal requirements at the time of construction is likely to still comply with the Regulations provided the insulation is in reasonable condition.

This Rule of Thumb has been created for the most common types of older ceiling insulation materials – glass fibre insulation, and macerated paper insulation. It may also be applied to blown wool insulation. Most common types of older insulation would have been at least 100mm thick when new, however some settlement or compression can be expected for older insulation. In general, all areas of ceiling insulation should have a thickness greater than 70 mm above all accessible habitable spaces.

Underfloor insulation must cover all accessible parts of the floor below the habitable spaces of the dwelling, except where clearances are required – e.g. for pipework – refer to the New Zealand insulation installation standard NZS 4246 for guidance on required clearances. The insulation must be in reasonable condition – damage such as rips, tears, or salt or dust deposits on the shiny face of foil insulation degrades the performance of foil insulation.

More information on installing insulation can be found at the EECA website or contact our team at Safe-R Insulation for a free assessment on 0800267992 or at gm@saferinsulation.co.nz

Insulation New Zealand

Good quality insulation helps keep the heat in during winter and out during summer. This makes your house easier and cheaper to heat properly, and more comfortable and healthy to live in. The priority for insulating your home should be ceiling followed by wall and then underfloor insulation. Installation can often be done by the home owner by DIY installation, but installing is often best undertaken by an expert. Finding the best installer is usually easiest by using a search engine and entering search terms such as Insulation New Zealand. However refining the search terms to be geographically specific such as Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington will often yield better results. If you already know the type required getting a specialist installer will ensure your roof or floor is installed correctly at the best price. New build homes are often installed by the builder, but retrofit is usually undertaken by professionals such as members of IAONZ. Existing wall insulation or cavity wall insulation as it is often know by, requires specialist installing equipment. Retrofit wall companies are spread throughout New Zealand, with the biggest provider being CosyWall, which is part of the Safe-R network. Injected insulation systems are usually installed by drilling small holes in the internal linings or external cladding and these holes are then repaired by the installation company. Dry fibre blown insulation or a wet foam are the two most common retrofitted wall systems.  Retrofitted existing wall insulation requires a building consent unless exempted by the local building consent authority. Any acoustic issue are usually solved by installing into internal walls or noisy mid floor cavities and will not usually require a building consent. Due to changes in the RTA, rentals must now be fully insulated before July 2019. Blown roof products such as Jet Stream Max is a great option for landlords as it can be used as a cheap repair in almost any situation, including as a low pitch roof on in an inaccessible ceiling. For quotes please give Safe R a call on 0800267992 or email gm@saferinsulation.co.nz. We’ll put you in touch with the an expert.