Why Is Underfloor Insulation So Important

Insulation under the floor is a key component of an energy-efficient home. It keeps your floors cool in summer and warm in winter. The underfloor insulation will also help reduce draughts, improve indoor air quality and save money on heating and cooling.
Insulating your floor can reduce noise from outside, and stop allergens like dust, pollen and bugs from entering your house. Underfloor insulation can also increase the resale price of your house.

Anyone looking to improve their home’s energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint will find that underfloor insulation in wellington is a must. The greatest benefit to adding underfloor heating insulation is that you will be able to reduce your energy costs by between 10 and 20 percent. This is what gives your floor a more comfortable feel.

Is Underfloor Insulation Important?
The answer is yes if you live in an old weatherboard house that’s poorly insulated or in a brick veneered home built on stumps with uninsulated wood floors. This is unfortunately the case for many families, especially in the temperate climate zone of wellington.

What is the purpose of underfloor insulation?
There is not just one problem but rather a number of interconnected aspects of energy consumption and comfort.

1. Heat loss and gain can be expensive
Victoria’s SEAV investigated the average winter heat loss, and summer heat gain of one of these blighted houses. This research has been included in the Australian Government’s ‘Your Home Technical Manual’:

You’re done. No matter what season it is, between 10 and 20% of your energy spent on making your home more comfortable will disappear through the flooring.

Who can afford to pay mortgage interest rates and gas prices that are increasing at a rapid rate?

2. Timber floors are bad insulators
If your home has floorboards, or floor panels you only have a thin layer between you and the temperature outside. While wood can be a good insulator for thick log walls, it is not a great choice as a floorboard with a thickness of 19 mm, providing only an R-value of 0.7.

3. Draughts
Uncontrolled ventilation is another name for draughts.
You can see from the SEAV graph that timber floors are not only a problem in terms of thermal performance. Over time, timber floorboards shrink and leave gaps that allow draughts to enter. These gaps, and the draughts that they cause, can become more noticeable if the house also moves. It’s also uncomfortable. It is also expensive to offset.

In winter, air leakage into and out of the home can result in energy losses of up to 25% and in summer, it could be as high as 5 – 25 %.

Many of the access points to draughts are being cut off
The condensation and mould caused by cold air entering your living space will be reduced.

4. Outside Noise
As well as reducing the channels for draughts and external noise, properly installed underfloor insulation also reduces these channels. You will experience a more library-like atmosphere in your living space.

5. Temperature Regulation & Comfort
Insulation under the floor promotes a more consistent temperature throughout the house throughout the year.

What other advantages can underfloor insulation offer?
There are three benefits to retrofitting roof and wall insulation.

Underfloor insulation can be easily installed by DIYers, provided they have sufficient headroom. It’s dirty and sometimes claustrophobic, but it can be done for a modest amount and in a weekend. For good.
There is no danger of falling through the ceilings, unlike with attic insulation.
There is no need to “make good” the area surrounding the retrofitted wall or window. Costs are predictable and contained.
Does Underfloor Insulation Really Make a Difference?
If your home is not well insulated, you will need to spend more time and money.

To get the best out of underfloor insulation, seal any draughts in the home.

Underfloor insulation will stop the majority of draughts from seeping through the floorboards. However, complete peace of mind for you and your wallet can only be achieved by sealing the gaps between the floorboards as well as between the floorboards.

Time and patience are more important than money.

Other People Ask:
Does Underfloor Insulation Need to be Installed?
All new homes must achieve a minimum rating of 7 stars, according to the most recent amendments to the National Construction Code 2022. It is therefore necessary to take a “whole-home” approach in order to achieve energy efficiency. While not mandatory, it is almost impossible to get 7 stars in homes with steel or timber framed floors without underfloor heating. The new NCC is set to begin on 1 May 2023. A transition period will be provided until 1 October 2023 in order to help the industry transition.

Is there a difference between underfloor insulation and other types of insulation?
Without underfloor insulation, your floor temperature will be the exact same as that of the outside. Your floor will have a temperature that is closer to the inside of your home with underfloor insulation. Underfloor insulation can make a significant difference to the comfort of your home and its energy efficiency.

Is Underfloor Insulation Effective?
Underfloor insulation helps reduce heat loss, allowing you to keep your home at a comfortable temperature all year round and saving on your heating and cooling costs. Underfloor insulation also helps reduce noise from outside sources entering your home.

Does Underfloor Insulation Help in Summer?
Underfloor insulation will help keep your air conditioning inside by creating an insulating layer between the home and outside heat. Underfloor insulation can help keep your air conditioner inside, and reduce draughts through the floor. If you have a lot of sagging floorboards, it may be necessary to install underfloor insulation and seal the floorboards.

What can I find out about underfloor insulation?
The information is based upon 20 years of installing underfloor insulation in 20,000 homes. Before it was “a thing”, we installed underfloor insulation.

You can find the Masterclass here. This Masterclass discusses:

The pros and cons of various types of insulation
How to choose the best insulation for water, fire and compression resistance
The best installation techniques and videos to help you achieve the best result for your home while keeping your insulation in place securely, and rodents out.
A whole website is dedicated to the topic of underfloor insulation. You can find it here.

Does Underfloor Insulation Work?
Yes, underfloor insulation does work. Underfloor insulation helps reduce heat loss from the home in winter, and retains cool air in summer. Underfloor insulation can reduce your energy consumption. Heating and cooling are the two biggest energy users in a home. Underfloor insulation can also be used to create a more uniform temperature throughout your house. We have never had a client in 20 years who regretted having the underfloor insulation installed.

How important is underfloor insulation in Australia?
It would be impossible, from a purely Regulatory perspective, to build a home that is Energy Compliant, on stumps, if there was no underfloor insulation.

Underfloor insulation is crucial for Australian residents to keep their homes cool during our scorching summers, and warm in the harshest winter.

A well-insulated underfloor can help you keep your heating and cooling costs low. By reducing the thermal variations in your home, you can reduce the risk of developing asthma. Allergic reactions can also be lessened by reducing draughts, which allow allergens to enter your home.

Does Underfloor Insulation Make Sense?
Underfloor insulation is definitely a good thing. Underfloor insulation reduces heat loss from your home in the winter, and increases heat in the summer. Reduced energy costs and emissions will be reduced by reducing the amount of heat and cooling required to cool and heat your home. The reduction of outside noise entering your home is a surprising side effect. It also adds a layer of protection to those who suffer from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions.

How Effective Is Underfloor Insulation?
It is possible to significantly reduce your energy bills by installing underfloor insulation in your home. Sustainability Victoria has shown that underfloor insulation can reduce heat loss and gain through your floors by up to 20 percent, leading to significant energy bill savings.

Underfloor insulation also helps to maintain a constant temperature in your home. This makes it more comfortable for you and your family. Underfloor insulation’s effectiveness is also dependent on how well your home is protected against the elements. It would also include effective draught-proofing (please, no door snakes!) Roof and wall insulation as well as window and shading treatments.

When is the best time to install underfloor insulation?
Installing underfloor insulation is possible at any time of the year.

Installing during cooler months
This is usually the busiest season for installing underfloor insulation, as people are reminded of how cold it can be and look for ways to stay warm. The increased demand for insulation and staples (the preferred method of fixing) can cause shortages. Winter is when you’ll feel the effects of underfloor heating. Installing underfloor insulation in winter can be a miserable experience. Take a buddy.

Installing in hotter months:
This is generally a slower time for insulation production, which means that shortages are less likely. Underfloor insulation will prevent heat from entering your home through the floorboards. This will make it more comfortable during summer. In summer, people tend to look for air conditioners and ignore the need to keep cool. It is incredibly cool to be under a floor during the summer. Enjoy this cool time by listening to some music with a friend.

What’s Next?
This article should have helped to explain the basics of underfloor insulation, which can be installed either during construction or as a retrofit after a house has been constructed. Installing insulation at the right level is an important step in your journey towards energy efficiency and reducing your carbon emissions and costs.

Explore some simple ways to install underfloor insulation.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel if you liked this article. There are many “How To” videos that will be of great help. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep up with the latest news.