Insulation is a great way to improve the performance of your home. An improved thermal envelope helps keep the energy you put into your home (heat) inside. This creates a warmer, drier more comfortable indoor environment.
Insulation professionals talk about the “thermal envelope” of a house. The thermal envelope is your ceiling, walls and underfloor (as well as windows and doors). To ensure you have a warm home you should ensure you have high quality insulation installed to all of these areas – see our previous post on the benefit of higher R-Value insulation.
Thermal Envelope – Ceiling, Underfloor & Walls
When we insulate new homes, all areas are exposed and it is easy to create a high-performance thermal envelope. Older homes can be trickier. It is usually easy to install insulation into your ceiling and underfloor, and the New Zealand Government provides subsidies for installing insulation in some cases (click here for more information on the Warmer Kiwi Homes subsidy). However your walls require more thought.
If your ceiling or underfloor area has walls facing your living space (common in two storey or split-level homes) these needs to be insulated to complete the thermal envelope. This is easily done when insulating your ceiling or underfloor. Your external walls should also be insulated. This represents the most difficult part of retrofitting insulation into your home.
Linings-Off Insulation
Fortunately, you have options. The traditional and often the best way to insulate your walls is to remove the internal lining. We then install building paper underlay and high-quality insulation is then installed before re-lining your walls. This is often a long and messy process.
SupaWall Blow-in Wall Insulation
Sometimes, a less invasive insulation method is possible. Blow-in wall insulation using our SupaWall CodeMark system is a great way to complete the thermal envelope in some homes. This requires a professional installer to assess, as it may not be suitable for all homes. Blow-in wall insulation means the internal lining of your home remains intact, with only patching and painting of the holes. SupaWall is ideal for homeowners considering a whole-of-house upgrade and renovation.
We’re Here to Help!
The whole process of insulating a home can sometimes get a little complicated or confusing. That’s where Enstall comes in! Give our friendly Auckland team a call on 0800 400 200 and we can book a free assessment to provide you with advice and no-obligation quotes and advice to improve your thermal envelope.