Why InsulateWhy Insulate

Insulating your home is one of the best long term investments you can make - Here's why!

Are you living in an uninsulated house?

You may not realise but thousands of New Zealand homes are poorly insulated. It can create an unbearable living environment in both summer and winter and often be the cause of other health problems. For most kiwi families, we often react to the changing climate by running out and buying new heaters or fans, however addressing the underlying issue will actually save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

To understand how insulation works we first have to understand how your home gains heat during the summer and how it escapes in the winter.

Home heat gains during summer

In Summer, New Zealand temperatures often soar past 30 degrees. Combine that with humidity and moisture and it makes for hot and sticky summers.

Over this time of year, the inside of your home heats up with the roof contributing to as much as 50-60% of your homes heat gains. Walls add another 15-25% and windows 12-20%. Floors are responsible for somewhere between 4-8% of your heat gains.

For homes with poor insulation, all these heat gains turns the inside into a bit of an oven. It creates an inside environment that’s very difficult and costly to keep cool.

Home heat gains during summer

In Summer, New Zealand temperatures often soar past 30 degrees. Combine that with humidity and moisture and it makes for hot and sticky summers.

Over this time of year, the inside of your home heats up with the roof contributing to as much as 50-60% of your homes heat gains. Walls add another 15-25% and windows 12-20%. Floors are responsible for somewhere between 4-8% of your heat gains.

For homes with poor insulation, all these heat gains turns the inside into a bit of an oven. It creates an inside environment that’s very difficult and costly to keep cool.

Home heat loss during winter

As the temperature cools down the opposite occurs and heat tries to escape out of the house.

In Winter, heat easily escapes through your walls, ceilings, windows and floors. In a typical uninsulated kiwi house, most of the heat is lost through the roof accounting for as much as 40-50% of your homes heat loss. Walls are your next big item responsible for 30-35% of your losses, followed by Windows, a 15-22% loss, and finally your floors at between 5-10%.

Home heat loss during winter

As the temperature cools down the opposite occurs and heat tries to escape out of the house.

In Winter, heat easily escapes through your walls, ceilings, windows and floors. In a typical uninsulated kiwi house, most of the heat is lost through the roof accounting for as much as 40-50% of your homes heat loss. Walls are your next big item responsible for 30-35% of your losses, followed by Windows, a 15-22% loss, and finally your floors at between 5-10%.

How does insulation help prevent home heat loss and gain?

Insulation acts as a barrier which keeps the outside air out, and the inside air in. It’s essential for keeping your home warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. It’s also one of the best ways to cut your heating and cooling bills in half while helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

In New Zealand, we see extreme temperature fluctuations in both Summer and Winter and what people don’t realise is how much the outside temperature effects your inside environment.

Summer Heat Gains

In the summer, heat will try and enter the house through the roof first, then through the walls, windows and floors. Your home’s thermal efficiency can be improved by insulating each of these areas you’ll seal your home’s thermal envelope and stop or reduce heat gains in these areas.

Winter Heat Loss

In the winter, all your effort heating your home is quickly lost if your home is uninsulated. Heat will try and escape through the roof first, followed by the walls, windows and floors. A fully insulated house will trap the hot air inside and reduce your heat losses during winter.