Despite our best efforts to use energy wisely and maintain a stable temperature, without proper functioning insulation our home’s ability to regulate the inside environment is compromised. 

This results in sweltering temperatures in summer, and freezing conditions in winter. 

Your home’s ability to maintain temperature can be measured, and that measurement is known as its ‘R-Value’ or sometimes ‘R-Rating’. 

What is insulation?

To understand R-Value, you first need to understand what insulation is and how it works. Insulation is the material that blocks airflow from escaping or entering your home. It is effective at blocking hot air from entering during the summer, and escaping during the winter, so it is an important part of your home’s heating and cooling systems no matter the weather. 

There are different types of insulation that can work best in different climate types, and an insulation expert can help you understand your needs and your options for insulation, helping combat any other heating or cooling problems in your home that an expert may identify.

What is an R-Value?

Insulation R-Value specifically measures how well your home’s insulation resists conductive heat flow. There are a few main factors that contribute to the overall R-Rating, including: 

• The insulation material
• Your home’s location and average temperature
• The lifespan of your insulation material and how old it is
• The moisture level in your home
• Quality of installation

R-Value can be an important factor in determining your insulation decisions because a high insulation R-Value will not only keep your home warmer in winter or cooler in summer, but it will also save you money on your electricity bills because your home won’t have to rely on air conditioning or other systems. 

Why is my home’s R-Value important?

Without proper insulation, your home can lose a significant amount of warmth in winter, and gain heat in summer, which ultimately costs you money. Your heating and cooling systems need to work harder to combat escaping air and maintain the temperature. You can reduce your electricity bill significantly just by paying attention to your insulation, and your home’s R-Value.

Savings don’t just come in the form of decreased energy bills when you insulate your home with R-Value in mind. You will also find that you need to repair your heating and cooling systems less frequently since they won’t need to work as hard to heat and cool your home.  

What can I do to increase the R-Value of my existing home?

Increasing the R-Value of your home is still possible in your existing home with a few small renovations. The most effective way to do this is by installing thicker and better-quality insulation, or topping up your existing insulation. This creates more substantial barriers and prevents heat from escaping, but there is one notable exception to this rule. 

This is where quality installation becomes an important factor. If your installer understands where insulation is best placed within your home and can utilise techniques such as the principle of “thermal bridging” where insulation is placed near joists, studs, and other heat-conducting building materials, then your home’s R-Value will increase.

Using Passive Design To Further Improve Energy Efficiency

When your home is specifically designed for the climate you live in, there should be little need for electric heating and cooling units. This type of home design is called ‘Passive Design’, and it can save you thousands on your electricity bill. 

Using natural heating sources, orientation, thermal mass, and importantly, insulation, you can take advantage of the natural climate of your area and minimise heat loss or gain. Passive Design is best applied to new builds, but if you have an existing home, renovations can go a long way towards creating a passive design in your home. 

In Australia, there are eight different climate zones, and passive design is going to look different depending on which of them you live in. Passive design is a hugely expansive idea and deserves an article all of its own, but we will go through the two most relevant concepts here; passive heating and passive cooling.

Passive heating

Passive heating is used often in cooler climates and works to allow winter sun into your home while keeping existing heat inside. If you live somewhere that’s very cold in winter but also can get quite warm in summer, then it’s important to balance passive heating design with passive cooling design to maximise benefits in both potential climates. 

Passive cooling

Passive cooling encourages airflow and evaporative cooling to keep your home cool in warmer seasons and climates. 

For both of these strategies, insulation is a key factor in ensuring passive design. Ensuring you use the correct insulation type for your climate and passive design goals will be critical, as will ensuring placement is correct. 

Another type of insulation that is important to facilitate passive design is window glazing. Windows and doors bring in or let out significant airflow, and will need to be treated to ensure they are working with your passive design goals, and not against them. Different types of glazing will work for different climates and home orientations. 

Conclusion

A home that utilises both smart insulation and passive design strategies is going to regulate temperature far more effectively, allowing its R-Value to soar. With the help of experts, you can ensure that your home is built to work with your local climate rather than against it. 

If you are looking to improve your home’s R-Value by replacing or installing insulation, get in touch with our team today! We are your local experts and can ensure that you have the right insulation for your climate, helping you save on heating and cooling. 

There’s nothing worse than sitting at home on a sweltering hot summer’s day and feeling every sweat droplet roll down your face. On the flip side, the last thing you need is to be walking around your home in winter with blue lips and chattering teeth. 

You want the outside weather to do just that – stay outside. That’s where insulation comes into the picture, preventing those sweat droplets and blue lips before they even form. 

A well-insulated home offers year-round comfort. You’ll find yourself reaching for that air-conditioning button far less and enjoying the natural refuge your home creates all on its own. 

Are you curious about how insulation works? We have all the answers you need to live in comfort day in and day out.

What is insulation?

Insulation is a material you can use in your home to resist or block the flow of heat energy. Put simply, in summer, you can use insulation to prevent the heat from outside entering your home. During winter, you can keep any heat you have inside from escaping out. It’s the perfect barrier to create year-round comfort you can rely on.

Types of insulation – and how they work

How your insulation works all depends on what type you opt for. When it comes to insulation products, you’re looking at two main categories: bulk and reflective. These can also be combined into a composite material.

At 4 Seasons Home Insulation, we only sell materials that meet Australian Standard AS/NZS 4859, Materials for the thermal insulation of buildings.

Heat can be transmitted in three different ways: 

• Convection: the way heat circulates through liquids and gases
• Conduction: the way heat moves through materials
• Radiation: heat that travels in a straight line

Bulk insulation deals with the former two, while reflective insulation caters to the latter. As you might expect, composite insulation aims to offer the best of both worlds and block out as much heat as possible.

Bulk insulation

Bulk insulation is made from low-density materials and generally uses pockets of trapped air to prevent the transfer of convected and conducted heat. It works well in both ceilings and floors, trapping the heat in when it’s cold, and preventing it from entering when it’s warm. It can include:

• Cellulose fibre pump in materials
• Polyester batts
• Fibreglass batts including rock wool
• Rock wool pump in materials

Reflective insulation

As the name suggests, reflective insulation works by reflecting radiant heat, and is commonly used in the hotter parts of Australia. It uses a layer of foil backed by paper or plastic to bounce the heat back, away from your home. This style insulation relies on an air layer at least 25mm next to the surface. Materials include:

• Foil faced blankets or sarking
• Foil faced boards
• Multi-cell foil products

Choosing the best insulation

As you might expect, not all insulation is created equal.

If you’re looking to compare different types of insulation on the market, then you need to understand its R-value. The higher this value, the higher the level of insulation. This value is determined by the type of insulation, its thickness and its density.

Your home is made up of the roof and ceilings as the outer walls. Each of these materials possess their own heat resistance (R-value). By adding the R-value of each of these components, you can determine the total R-value for your home.

The NCC and BASIX (in New South Wales) set out the minimum requirements when it comes to R-values for materials. Ideally, you want to set your sights higher than this for complete comfort in your home. Use it as a baseline, not as the standard.

Is insulation worth it?

The answer to this question is going to rely on a number of varying factors, including: 

• It is an essential component to New Builds (BASIX Requirements) in Australia
• Energy savings (less reliance in heating and cooling)
• The environmental impact
• Comfort
• Health
• Where you live and what the climate is like
• How much time you spend at home

The simple answer is yes: insulation acts as a barrier to your home, keeping it nice and warm in winter and cool in summer. Properly insulating your home reduces heating and cooling costs, while also improving comfort. No more breaking out the icepacks or bringing your hot water bottles to bed. 

Without insulation, you’re allowing any artificial hot or cool air you create in your home to simply escape straight back outside, while also allowing the outdoor temperatures to creep inside. 

Good insulation regulates the temperature and keeps your fingers off that air-conditioning remote.

Finding the right insulation

Investing in the right insulation for your climate significantly reduces your heating and cooling costs – saving your valuable pennies. In fact, insulation is now mandatory in new builds, which makes sense since it’s cheap and will pay itself back in no time.

However, getting your hands on the right product isn’t enough. It needs to be installed correctly to perform well and avoid condensation problems. 

The effectiveness of your insulation is also dependent on where and how it is installed. For example, insulation that is flattened, won’t provide its full rated R-value. 

You also need to be aware of any thermal bridging in your home. These are pathways created by the building frame and allow heat and cold to travel through. Thermal bridging can be minimised with the right tools and expertise on hand, to ensure you receive the most effective insulation.

That’s where 4 Seasons Home Insulation comes in – we have over 25 years experience in installing insulation correctly. If you’re looking for more information or would like to arrange a quote, fill out a contact form today.

It’s no wonder they’re shouting the name Woolcell from the rooftops.

That’s because this Australian-made, pump-in material is helping to keep the home insulation industry thriving – and Aussie homes comfortable all year round.

But what has led to this uptick in demand?

Well, Australia is in the grip of a supply shortage when it comes to home building and renovation materials at the moment, and this includes home insulation products.

Supply chain delays for some products are being held up for as long as 26 weeks – and insulation batts and other insulation materials are affected because of this.

Materials are in high demand worldwide due to the fact that many countries are using construction to stimulate their economies. This in turn is driving up costs.

The Suez Canal blockage, too, has caused shipping costs to rise.

According to Tim Reardon, chief economist for the Housing Industry Association, new home construction has increased by 20% in the last 12 months. As a result, quality insulation products are in short supply.

But Woolcell is proving to be the perfect solution.

You Can Get Pump-In Woolcell Right Now

Woolcell is an Australian-made premium pump-in roof insulation material. 

Natural salts are used in making Woolcell (borax, and boric acid), plus it’s a product made from Australian wool and recycled paper. 

The wool keeps the overall material light and together, giving you 100% coverage.

It has fire retardant properties and it’s breathable, so the chances of mould are greatly reduced. This is good news for those who suffer from asthma or allergies. 

The Woolcell also soaks up harmful indoor air pollutants too.

It was even awarded a National Wool Invention Competition ‘Prize of Distinction’ and is CSIRO-tested, so it meets all necessary industry standards.

And, besides being environmentally friendly, it also offers a lifetime warranty.

Woolcell – Your Best Bet For Total Coverage

Regardless of the access restrictions, Woolcell can be installed inside flat roofs, cathedral ceilings, or between floors and roof pitches with very little effort; it is the ideal solution for areas where bulk insulation like batts cannot be installed.

The lack of gaps in Woolcell means that it is better for thermal and acoustic insulation. Woolcell is also less likely to suffer from moisture damage, and is less prone to vermin infestation. 

Woolcell has a superior R-value and is semi-bound, so it doesn’t require surface sprays to adhere, resulting in a long-lasting and stable product.

The Importance Of The ‘R-Value’

In the building and construction industry, the thermal resistance rating, or R-Value, is a measure of a material’s ability to resist heat transfer.

A higher R-Value means better thermal resistance. Units are measured in m2K/W.

R-Value = Thickness (m) / Thermal conductivity (W/mK)

Specifying insulation should take into account the thermal resistance of the material. 

Therefore, it is more economically efficient to increase the thickness of the product than to use one with a lower thermal conductivity in order to achieve a specific thermal resistance.

R-values for roof insulation range between R3.5 and R6, R3.5 near the coast and R6 in cold climates such as alpine areas. 

Government websites recommend R4.1 for most areas in Australia.

How Home Insulation Helps You

Insulation has many benefits, which is why it is the most popular climate solution for houses.

Improved comfort	Electricity savings	Noise dampening	Reduced carbon footprint	Safe
An insulated home maintains a comfortable temperature – neither too hot nor too cold.	Keep cool or warm air inside, reducing your air conditioner’s or heater’s workload.	The insulation you choose for your home can help dampen or soundproof it.	You can reduce your impact on the environment by using less electricity.	To ensure flame retardancy and safety, insulation must undergo rigorous testing.

Woolcell: In Summary

• Insulation that is 38% more effective than alternative batt insulation
• Suitable for flat and pitched roof construction, as well as dry wall insulation
• Exceptional acoustic performance

4Seasons Home Insulation offers supply only, install only, supply and install, remove insulation, or remove and re-insulate. We provide FREE quotes to inspect and measure your home or business. 4Seasons Home Insulation installers are trained and fully qualified (unlike some subcontractors) to ensure a high standard for the ultimate performance of your chosen product. We can help you, just contact us today.

Working from home does have its advantages.

But are you as comfortable as you should be?

You’ve got yourself all set up, but do you find you’re running the heater more in winter and overheating in summer? 

You may not have noticed it as much before now because you were at work for most of the day. But times have changed – and so have your monthly bills.

Whether you’re locked down because of COVID-19, or your workplace has moved to a more ongoing flexible schedule, the chances are your home is now bearing the brunt of increased foot traffic, noise, and energy bills.

Your home – and your ongoing energy budget – may not be able to handle all these added stresses, so it might be time to revisit just how well your insulation is performing.

And let’s face it, sadly you are not likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. 

You should be out and about travelling, but you’re stuck at home. 

Why not spend your time and money doing some simple home maintenance?

Many people are using their yearly tax returns to reinvest in proper home insulation to ensure their lockdown digs are as comfortable as possible.

There’s More Than One Type of Insulation:

Roof Insulation

Without roof insulation you could be losing 35% of your heating/cooling capacity. That translates into 10 degrees cooler in summer and up to 7 degrees warmer in winter. Added benefits of roof insulation include lower damp conditions and mould and fire protection.

Top-up & Removal

The majority of homes built pre-2000 seriously need insulation repair, top-up or, in some cases, removal and reinstallation. Without attention to this important issue, homeowners are not gaining any benefits from their current insulation product. They are definitely paying way more for heating and cooling than they could be. Contact 4 Seasons for more information.

Wall Insulation

Without wall insulation you could be losing 25% of your heating/cooling capacity. And that’s without considering the power bills which are already costing you a fortune. Talk to 4 Seasons Home Insulation and find out about saving money while lowering energy consumption.

Existing Walls

Reduce noise transfer and increase the comfort of home and the efficiency of workplaces. 4 Seasons Home Insulation provides a series of products suitable for various levels of required acoustic insulation. Acoustic Insulation can help reduce noise transfer between:

• Internal rooms i.e. between bedroom/bathroom or bedroom/living areas
• Between the first and second floors in two-storey homes
• Between apartments (in apartment living)
• Dampen environmental noise from busy roads or aircraft

Underfloor

Without floor insulation you could be losing 20% of your heating/cooling capacity. With well-installed insulation you will:

• Lower your energy consumption
• Decrease greenhouse gas emissions
• Save on your electricity bills
• Improve your comfort levels
• Reduce the impact of mould
• Minimise your reliance on heating and cooling systems.

4 Seasons Home Insulation gives you greater comfort, cheaper power bills, a smaller carbon footprint and a healthier home for your family.

Nearly half of Australians are now doing some work from home, and the latest evidence is that ‘WFH’ is here to stay.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to close offices and help workers find new ways to communicate and collaborate, according to new data from the Australia Talks National Survey 2021.  

The survey asked people how many hours they worked from home prior to the pandemic, at the height of the pandemic, and at present.

Working From Home Statistics In Australia

• In June 2021, more people with jobs (37%) worked from home one or more times a week compared with before COVID-19 restrictions began in March 2020 (24%). (ABS)

• In June 2021, the aspects of life under COVID-19 restrictions Australians reported they would most like to see continue were: working from home (33%) and spending more time at home (24%). (ABS)

• 90% of Australians want to keep working from home, in some capacity. (PwC)
  
• By contrast, in 2015, working from home as part of flexible work arrangements represented just 13 per cent of the Australian workforce, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

• Before the pandemic, half of the respondents did absolutely no working from home: zero hours. Almost a third (31 per cent) did anywhere from an hour a day to eight hours or more. (ATNS, 2021)

• But at the height of the COVID crisis, the “zero hours” group shrunk to just one third, as more people experimented with working from home. (ATNS, 2021)

• The data suggests the workforce is now closer to an even split, with around 43 per cent of respondents working some hours at home, and 37 per cent working none. Twenty per cent responded that the question was not applicable. (ATNS, 2021)

• The amount of people working from home full-time, eight hours or more per day, has tripled from 4 per cent previously to 12 per cent now. (ATNS, 2021)

• The Families in Australia Survey: Towards COVID Normal found that among the employed survey respondents, 67% were sometimes or always working from home, compared to 42% pre-COVID.
  
• According to a Roy Morgan Research survey released in June 2020, 32 per cent of working Australians were working from home at the peak of the economic lockdown. The figure was much higher for businesses whose employees typically worked in offices, led by finance and insurance (58 per cent of employees), public administration (51 per cent) and communications (47 per cent).

• 4 in 5 Australian businesses say that remote work is here to stay long term, even as offices reopen nationwide.

The massive transition to remote work during the pandemic was a necessity for office-based companies that wanted to maintain operations. But the majority of companies want to continue with some form of remote work post-pandemic.

Telecommuting has been especially challenging, isolating and stressful, particularly for parents of young children.

Now, more than ever, Australians need to ensure their homes are doing the job for them and an insulation audit/update is a great way to look after your long-term health and wellbeing as you continue spending more time working from home.

Save up to $1000 per year with 4 Seasons Home Insulation. Effective, professional, guaranteed and an excellent investment that starts paying for itself immediately. Give us a call today for a free measure and quote and to discuss your insulation needs.

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COVID-19 UPDATE

4 Seasons Home Insulation will be closely monitoring and adjusting our installing capabilities in line with Government imposed restrictions. For the safety of our installers and to ensure the financial longevity of the business, we are diverting installs to regional areas. Our installers are being tested for COVID-19 every 7 days and are wearing all appropriate PPE. We are closely monitoring the restrictions status in the Sydney region as we aim to resume installations as soon as it is deemed safe to do so. We value all our customers and want to structure our business in such a way that we are able to safely continue our work with little, to no risk of going into forced isolation. Office staff are working remotely, so please bear with us as we navigate our way through this difficult time. Area sales managers in the Sydney region will continue virtual quotes. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to assisting you in the near future.

A stunning statistic shows Australia’s death rate from cold weather is higher than that of Sweden’s – but we can insulate against it.

The Healthy Homes for Renters campaign found every year 10,000 people die in Australia of causes attributable to the cold.

In Sweden, cold weather caused an estimated 3.9% of deaths, whereas in Australia it caused 6.5% (that’s one in 15 deaths), according to the Lancet medical journal.

Many Aussie homes are “just glorified tents” and we expose ourselves to far colder temperatures than the Scandinavians do.

Benefits Of An Insulated Home In Winter

It creates a protective barrier

You are kept warm in winter. Insulation blocks the cool air in winter, while keeping the warm air inside.

You save money on energy costs

Insulation works together with your heating appliances by taking the load off them, vastly reducing the length of running time required to heat your home. The impact on your power bills is dramatic.

It’s good for the environment

Consuming a lower amount of energy means a smaller carbon footprint. Environmentally-safe insulation materials are made from recycling of other components. 

Reduces damp and mould

Some premium products will lower condensation in your home. This creates healthier air and greater protection from the illness and allergies caused by damp and mould.

It improves your quality of life

Your home becomes more comfortable, more bearable and more inviting. 

Your Energy Rating improves

Homes built pre-2000 usually need insulation repair, top-up or removal and reinstallation. Homeowners with poorly installed insulation, often using inferior products, are getting no benefits at all.

Adding Insulation To An Existing Home 

Business development manager at 4 Seasons Home Insulation, Ross Kestle told The Fifth Estate the cost of retrofitting most existing homes with full insulation ranged from $9000-$15000, including ceiling, wall and floor insulation and draught elimination. 

“First priority is always the roof, then the walls, then the draughts, then the underfloor,” Mr Kestle said. 

Wall and floor insulation is as effective at improving thermal rating as ceiling, but Mr Kestle said roof insulation can be done in smaller homes for as little as $2000 and provides heat retention in the winter.

Click here to read the full article on The Fifth Estate.
Call us today and make your home winter-ready with 4 Seasons Home Insulation.

There are some simple yet effective ways to insulate your home, which can significantly reduce heat gain during summer and heat loss during winter. And this leads to big savings on your energy bills.

Heating and cooling account for up to 50% of a typical home’s energy use(1). Without adequate insulation you can lose up to 35% of heat during winter and an equal amount of cooling during summer. Not only does this lead to higher energy bills, but you spend your time in a house that is a lot less comfortable to live in throughout the year.

Start with the roof..

Up to 35% of your energy loss happens through a poorly insulated roof. Insulating your loft, attic or roof is a simple and effective way to reduce heat loss and reduce your heating bills.

Get a professional to do the job

Unfortunately, if you don’t insulate the entire roof or attic properly, it might all be for nothing. Heat can pass through gaps in the insulation, timber joists, gables, chimneys, large gaps around exhaust fans, downlights and other areas making it largely ineffective

The roof area also needs to be inspected for potential leakages and moisture build-up.

Don’t forget the walls

Almost a third of all the heat transference in an uninsulated home escapes through the walls. By properly insulating cavity walls, you will save energy and cut costs off your energy bills.

And that leaves the floor!

People often focus on the walls and roof for insulation and rightly so, but the floor is also important. Particularly in the cooler months as you want to eliminate drafts. Underfloor insulation will impede temperature change, meaning it will be easier to maintain your desired ambient temperature.

Why conserve energy at all?

Energy conservation is beneficial for a variety of reasons. You can save money, you can increase the value of your property, and protect the environment all by utilising some simple energy-saving measures.

There are great benefits you can gain from saving energy no matter your exact motivation for conservation in the first place. But by simply taking a step towards living a more energy conscious life, you can begin to enjoy all of the perks of being energy efficient.

Get in touch with us today to discuss your insulation needs – 1300 331 366

1. Source: https://www.energy.gov.au/households/heating-and-cooling