How Does Insulation Works For Your Home In Melbourne
In Melbourne, nowadays, it is very rare to find a house without any sort of insulation used. Most people know and understand that insulation is very important for both residential homes and commercial builds. But, many people still don’t how it works in reality. In this blog, we will discuss the science behind the working procedure of home insulation in Melbourne and also discuss how it can save you money in long run.
What Does Home Insulation Actually Do?
In simple words, the prime function of an insulation (whether it is roof insulation, wall insulation, floor insulation or any other) is to prevent the heat to go out from inside and to prevent the heat from entering outside. It also regulates the temperature inside your home so that the inside of your house can stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the colder months of the year. So, in general, it acts as a barrier to heat transmission.
How Does an Insulation Help Manage Heat Issues?
It is widely known that insulation helps keep the warm atmosphere inside your home during winter and also prevents the high temperature of summer from entering inside.
A material which is good insulator works in both ways. It does not matter if the heat is inside the house or outside, it will act as a barrier to flow the heat. This means the heat cannot escape easily from inside to outside in winter and cannot get in easily from outside to inside in summer days.
Understanding The Science Behind Heat Flow
To understand the actual science behind the working mechanism of insulation, you must know the basic heat-science. Here as one of the leading home insulation installers in Melbourne, we elaborate the process.
Heat is generally considered as thermal energy. It always flows from areas of high temperature zones to areas of low temperature until both zones are of equal temperature. So, if there is hot inside the house and cooler outside, the thermal energy will try to go out of your house. The same thing happens when the outside is ‘hotter’ and inside of your home is cold and cosy – the heat outside will tend to flow inside your home.
To prevent the heat escape from your home in wintry days, or to prevent heat flooding in your home in summer, you will need a restrictive material in between. That is exactly what an insulation does.
Role Of R-Value in Insulation
When it comes to insulation in Australia, every insulation product and material has been given a rating of R- Value from R1.0 to R7.0. Depending upon the area you live, a new home is required to meet certain R-Value standards.
A very low R-value such as 1.0 means very minimal resistance to heat transfer. This would typically be found in materials with poor insulating properties, like air gaps or uninsulated walls.
On the other hand, a high R-value of 7.0 indicates excellent insulation which generally prevents significant heat loss or gain. This would be typical for materials like closed-cell spray foam used in walls, ceilings, or floors.
So, installing higher R-Valued material all over your home will likely to help you keep the inner temperature of your house within a comfortable range most times through the year.
For most part of South and South-Eastern regions of Australia such as Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, there are specific R-Value instructed:
Min R-Values
For Ceiling: 5.0 or 6.0
For Walls: 2.5
For Floors: 2.5
And for major parts of Western and Northern areas of Australia such as Perth, Brisbane and Northern NSW: –
Min R-Values
For Ceiling: 4.0
For Walls: 2.0
For Floors: 2.0
How Installing Thermal Insulation Saves Energy
If you properly install quality insulation from one of the insulation experts in Melbourne for your home, it will definitely lead to energy savings. What happens is that insulation which is a great barrier to heat flow keeps the inside of your home at an ideal temperature. This will gradually reduce the use of your air conditioner and heater.
In the great majority of Australian homes, heating and cooling are the biggest components of power bills. By installing proper insulation, this issue can be greatly sorted.
When you turn on the air conditioning in summer and the room-heater in winter, a proper home insulation will help your energy efficiency efforts. You will notice that your AC is not working as hard and similarly, during winter your heater isn’t overworked. By using insulation, you are also helping to reduce your carbon footprint and it is one of the best steps you can take for a green home.
How Does Acoustic Insulation Work?
In this article, we have discussed thermal insulation which is a method of preventing heat in and out. Also, in Australian homes we see another type of insulation that is acoustic insulation. Like the thermal which provides for reduction of heat in and out, acoustic insulation in Melbourne does the job of reducing noise which in turn helps to keep the home quiet.
When sound waves hit a surface, they are either:
- transmitted through the material to the other side
- reflected by the surface and bounced back into the room
- absorbed by the material
Acoustic materials which are used for absorbing sound waves are generally thick and dense form as compared to thermal insulation. They are mostly put in internal and external walls and between floors of a multi storey home. They are used to reduce sound transmission between home’s rooms.
Selecting The Best Home Insulation in Melbourne
In the case of roof, underfloor, acoustic or wall insulation in Melbourne, what you choose is important.
If you are a new home builder and building your own home, it is essential to choose right material for the insulation. In case if you don’t have much knowledge over it, it is highly recommended that you call in expert insulation contractors in Melbourne such as Attic Insulation as they have high quality materials and they also offer insulation services in Melbourne.
At Attic Insulation we present a large variety of thermal and acoustic products from the best in the Australian industry. You can shop online from our website or give us a call on 03 8712 9826 to put in your order.
