Insulation acts as a barrier which helps to keep the hot summer temperature out and the inside temperature stable. It’s essential for keeping your home warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. It’s also one of the best ways to cut your heating and cooling bills in half while helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

In New Zealand, we see extreme temperature fluctuations in both Summer and Winter and what people don’t realise is how much the outside temperature effects your inside environment. Unfortunately many New Zealand homes are not properly insulated which compounds the issues. Many homes might have a little insulation in the roof but are often missing wall insulation and underfloor insulation.

Winter Home Heat Loss

In Winter, home heat loss occurs when heat escapes through your walls, ceilings, windows and floors. In a typical uninsulated kiwi house, most of the heat is lost through the roof accounting for as much as 40-50% of your home heat loss. Walls are your next big item responsible for 30-35% of your losses, followed by Windows, a 15-22% loss, and finally your floors at between 5-10%.

Summer home heat gains

In Summer we have the opposite issue with New Zealand temperatures soaring past 30 degrees at times. Combine that with humidity and moisture and it makes for hot and sticky summers.

Over this time of year, the inside of your home heats up with the roof contributing to as much as 50-60% of your homes heat gains. Walls add another 15-25% and windows 12-20%. Floors are responsible for somewhere between 4-8% of your heat gains.

A typical Kiwi home will usually have a bit of insulation in the ceiling however with most our housing stock over 25 years old, insulation standards were fairly minimal. Even if your home is partially insulated, heat can still enter and escape through any air gaps and uninsulated areas. A fully insulated home will work to slow heat gains and losses from a building and seal your thermal envelope.

The best part is that once your home is fully insulated, it will remain so for the life of the building making it easier to heat and cool in the future. With a complete thermal envelope, you’ll notice a reduction in heating and cooling bills. For some people you’ll also notice any drafts and moisture disappear from the home, making it a much healthier place to live for you and your family.

Talk to the team at Pilkington Insulation today and find out how we can fully insulate your house before this winter!