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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

Summer holidays are over, we’ve made it through December and January and we’re back into the routine of work and school.

Yet February is still officially summer and never fails to bring some scorchers along with it, as well as a few hints of the winter to come.

February 2016 and February 2017 take the gong for the hottest and second hottest recorded February conditions around the globe. Time will tell how February 2018 stacks up. So far, the month has been on the cool side.

This is no time to get complacent about insulating your home or upgrading old, existing insulation.

Whether heating or cooling your home, these are the essential things to consider:

1. The temperature inside your house might be dramatically different to the temperature outside (the one online or announced on tv). Get into the habit of measuring temps inside and see the amazing difference with well-installed insulation.
2. Which part of your house faces west? Western walls are the hottest in your house. Windows or doors on the western side will allow even more heat to affect the temperature inside your house.
3. During summer, especially with daylight saving, we experience more hours of sunlight from the west plus higher temperatures, exposing our houses even more.
4. During winter, reducing heat loss is the major concern. On cold days heat escapes through gaps and air leaks around windows, doors and construction joints. Sealing these weak points will make insulation more effective.
5. It’s important to stop the heat and cold from getting inside in the first place. Good insulation will stop it from escaping even if you want it to.
6. 4 Seasons Insulbloc installed inside existing walls is an immediate solution to the effects of hot and cold weather, no matter the season.

Arrange for a free onsite inspection of your home, to evaluate the benefits that insulation could bring.