Make an effort to understand insulation, and you’re likely to be bombarded with a dizzying array of confusing terms and claims. You’ll encounter pink batts, gold batts, reflective foil, rigid foam, XPS, EPS, glass wool, anticon, sarking, sisalation, closed cell, open cell, R values, and even Mr Fluffy. A quality home builder will help cut through the jargon.
The basic idea behind insulation is really pretty simple – it restricts the flow of heat in and out of your home.
Bricks, framing, plasterboard, and cladding help to keep the elements out, but they aren’t enough to maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home throughout the year. For that, you need insulation.
When it’s hot outside, insulation helps to keep the heat outside. And when it’s cold outside, insulation keeps the heat inside your home. Installing wall and ceiling insulation can save up to 45% on heating and cooling costs according to www.yourhome.gov.au.
“R Value” measures insulation’s ability to resist heat flow. A higher value means the insulation is better at resisting the transfer of heat.
Heat is transferred in three ways: radiation, convection, and conduction.
Radiation is heat transferred through electromagnetic waves – mostly infrared waves. We use reflective wrap, sometimes called sarking or Sisalation, to stop infrared waves radiating heat through the walls and roofs of our homes.
Convection is the transfer of heat through the air – warm air carries heat into or out of a structure. We limit convection by using pink batts in the wall and ceiling.
Conduction is the transmission of heat through a material, or from one material to another, through direct contact. Pink batts also help to limit conduction of heat through the walls and ceiling, as the tiny fibres in pink batts are poor conductors of heat.
Insulation can make a huge difference to the internal comfort of your new home, even in our mild climate on the Coffs Coast.
At Balance Design and Construction, we go above and beyond the minimum requirements to ensure that your house is comfortable throughout the year. Our standard specification includes sarking and R2.0 batts in the exterior walls, and sarking and 3.0 batts in the ceiling.
We also understand that insulation only works to its full potential if it is installed properly, so we use a fully qualified and experienced local installer on every home we build.
The team at Balance provides expert assistance at every stage of the residential construction process, from initial feasibility analyses to final touch-ups. Our in-house design team has produced a portfolio of exceptional new home designs, and we also offer custom design services using state-of-the-art design software (including 3D renderings you can view on your smartphone or VR glasses!).
We have solutions for steep sites, beachfront lots, and unusually-shaped blocks. We take care of Council paperwork and approvals, and provide professional interior design advice to ensure your home is stylish and practical.
Seeking a construction partner for your next investment project? Balance are the Coffs Coast experts in townhouse and boutique developments, with multiple successful projects delivered over recent years, producing excellent returns for our clients.
We offer a unique service to investors, with our ability to handle every stage of your development, from early concept plans through to completion. We provide excellent value, and can even put you in touch with quality local real estate agents to help sell or rent your new development.
We also offer turnkey development solutions so investors can start earning a return sooner with less hassle.
Unfortunately, the big builders have convinced new home buyers that the only way to afford a new home is to settle for one of their standard plans or pre-arranged house and land packages. But why settle for a home designed for someone else?
A home designed to meet your specific needs may be much more affordable than you realise! At Balance, our pricing is transparent and we’ll happily tailor our designs to meet your budget and the family’s needs.
You’ve got nothing to lose – visit our display home, or give us a call today on 1300 056 298 to arrange a free consultation.