A home designed to retain heat would have low stud heights, small rooms, small windows and be located on north facing wind free sites. Unfortunately, this is not the sort of home a lot of us want to live in and wind free north facing sites are not common. Insulation compensates for our desire for high ceilings and windows…and has become increasingly important in NZ as our cost of energy increases.
Heating Systems only replace the heat that is being lost from a home. If you reduce the heat loss, you reduce the power bill. This is where insulation comes in. With better insulation the heat loss is reduced and so the cost to heat the home is reduced. The minimum standard level of insulation has been steadily increasing over the last 25 years and if we follow the rest of the world it will continue to do so. Increasing energy prices provide an incentive to do so. Compared to other products associated with building, insulation is low cost and can save a lot of energy dollars during the lifetime of the home.
We see insulation as part of the answer to reducing the demand on natural resources as well as home owner’s pockets while still living in a modern, healthy way. We are happy to discuss insulation as an integral part of a heating system.
Slab Edge Insulation
Under Floor Insulation. Beware of the high heat loss from a room which is above an unheated space.
(e.g.) the bedroom over the garage.
Double glazing. Did you know that a single glazed window lets out 10x more heat than an insulated timber framed wall, while a double glazed window lets out 5 x more.
Window Dressings. The right ones can be more effective than double glazing. Luxaflex Duet Standard is a blind with a honeycomb centre and can be 14.4 times more effective than single glazing and 5.7 times more effective than double glazing. Use drapes with a separate lining.
Ceiling Insulation. Each recessed light allows heat to escape through the ceiling.
Shelter Belts.
Design of Home. Small rooms with two or three external walls are harder to keep warm.
Other sites to visit
http://www.eeca.govt.nz/
http://www.design-navigator.co.nz/DesignFAQs.html
http://www.luxaflex.co.nz/categories/duette_shades.html