As long as your choice of thermal insulation is used appropriately, the environmental benefits over the lifetime of a building will nearly always far exceed any negatives. Therefore the performance of the thermal insulation should be the key selection criteria. In a building, insulation has the greatest potential for reducing its CO2 emissions, but it only provides reduction of heat loss through the building fabric. Equally important is the energy lost through ventilation and glazing. When making your thermal insulation selection, other factors you could consider are the source of the products, the chemicals used to produce them and their effect on air quality during both installation and in service.
Reducing the amount of energy used from fossil fuels is the most important factor in promoting sustainability.
Thermal insulation has the greatest potential for reducing CO2 emissions.
Energy conserved through thermal insulation use far outweighs the energy used in its manufacture. Only when a building achieves a 'LowHeat' standard does thermal insulation's embodied energy become significant.
Thermal insulation performance is the key selection criteria.
The durability of thermal insulation affects its performance eg settlement, physical degradation, vapour permeability and air movement.
Careful detailing is needed to avoid the risk of moisture ingress into the thermal insulation.
Most thermal insulation materials differ in their capacity to reduce heat flow. This means that different materials require different thicknesses to achieve the same effect. These differences need to be considered when planning wall cavity widths.
Good thermal insulation performance requires careful site supervision.
Thermal insulation only provides reduction of heat loss through the building fabric. Equally important is the energy lost through ventilation and glazing. Consider products that provide a thermal barrier where possible there, too.
Beyond insulation batts and insulation blankets, insulation types cover a wide variety of forms and materials, from foam insulation to blown insulation to rigid insulation panels and even insulations incorporated into other products, such as cladding and structural components. Building wraps also insulate, Insulation thickness and good practices observed while installing insulation make a tremendous difference in the effectiveness of the insulating products used. Consider using a thermal insulation contractor to perform the work.
In recent years there has been some concern over health risks related to the use of glass fibre and mineral fibre insulation products. Their seems to be a growing consensus that modern fibreglass and mineral fibre insulation products are safe, however consideration should still be given to safe installation processes and to using alternative insulation types, in any location, which may result in dust getting into the air supply of a building or in locations which are not sealed from the interior.
Insulation materials with CFCs and HCFCs should always be avoided. HCFCs like the CFCs they replaced are ozone depleting chemicals. Despite the fact that alternative production methods using non ozone depleting chemicals have been available for many years, expanded polystyrene insulation is often still manufactured with HCFCs.
Preferential Thermal Insulation Materials
Thermal insulation materials derived from organic sources such as wool. Some wool insulations not only use local NZ wool but also use recycled scraps. Cellulose insulation is manufactured from recycled paper.
Thermal insulation materials derived from naturally occurring minerals such as those found in fiberglass insulation and pink insulation.
Thermal insulation materials derived from fossil fuels. Always specify foam insulation products that use Zero-ODP (ZODP) blowing agents.
Pink® Batts® Ultra™ wall and ceiling insulation from Tasman Insulation can significantly reduce heat loss in winter helping keep homes warmer, drier and healthier.
