FAQ
Q. Does cellulose prevent the common problem in Australia of badly installed insulation?
A.Cellulose has a clear advantage over batt-type insulation, which is cut off-site & sometimes doesn't snugly fit the space between ceiling joists. This installation problem is known as thermal bridging or thermal short-circuiting and can substantially reduce insulation batts' effectiveness.
This problem is common throughout Australia, because it's always difficult to fit insulation batts into ceilings with no gaps between the batts & the ceiling joists.
For example, installing an R3.0 insulation batt in your ceiling with a 4% gap between the batt & the ceiling joist reduces the batt's insulation performance by 50% to R1.5. By choosing 'no-gaps' cellulose insulation, you're home is guaranteed to receive the insulation performance as advertised.
Q. Does cellulose prevent the common problem in Australia of insulation products not reaching their advertised performance after they're installed?
A. Yes. When Australian manufactured batt-type insulation products are installed in thicknesses greater than the ceiling joists, the uninsulated areas left above the ceiling joists substantially reduce the batts' advertised insulation performance.
For example, in hardwood timber ceiling joists at high insulation levels of R 4.0 and above, batt insulation performance can be reduced by up to 45% to R2.2 by the heat rising up through the timber joists.
Q. Are there any Building Code of Australia
ceiling plasterboard load limits which do not accommodate cellulose insulation?
A. No. Independent CSIRO testing shows that 10mm and 13 mm plastic board can easily accommodate the 10kg/m2 imposed load while satisfying the deflection limit specified in AS/NZS 2785:2000.
Q. Which insulation is best for the environment?
A. Cellulose...naturally. The Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of the environmental impact of all insulation products during their total life cycle (i.e. from their manufacture to their removal at the end of the life of a building) shows that cellulose is the world's leading environmentally friendly insulation.
It's satisfying for consumers to know that a house insulated with cellulose insulation will:
• Use less energy to heat or cool your living space, and therefore...
• Pay for itself in around 5 years due to reduced energy bills.
Importantly, cellulose insulation also contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the use of less of Australia's fossil fuel-based (e.g. coal) energy resources.
Q. What are cellulose insulation's fire safety properties like?
A. Excellent. Because it's an organic material, cellulose is treated with fire retardants. It is the only common wood fibre based residential and light commercial construction material that always receives such treatment.
This process makes cellulose insulation one of the safest construction materials on the Australian market.Scientific studies of actual fires and demonstration burns have proven that the dense fibre structure of fire-retarded cellulose actually slows the spread of fire, protecting ceiling joists & plaster from the spread of fire.
This results in a fire being contained at its ignition point, thus preventing further damage.
Q. How does cellulose insulation perform in achieving noise reduction between rooms?
A. Cellulose is an Australian market leader in the reduction of noise between rooms, including between upstairs & ground floor rooms. Most sound between rooms travels up through the ceiling & is reflected down into adjoining rooms.
Cellulose can reduce up to 66% of sound between rooms, making your living environment substantially quieter.
Cellulose is the world's most environmentally friendly insulation because:
• It's manufactured from 83%
• Environmentally friendly recycled materials
•The energy used in its production (i.e. its embodied energy) is up to six (6) times less than other insulation materials
• It's rated as having the world's-best insulation product life cycle analysis
•By installing cellulose insulation in your home, your joining millions of satisfied consumers world wide.
Q. Does cellulose insulation improve your personal living comfort?
A. Yes. Cellulose keeps a home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. A home's inside temperature may change by as much as 6-8 degrees, therefore giving you a more comfortable living environment all year round.
Q. Is Cellulose insulation easily installed?
A. Yes. Cellulose insulation benefits include:
• It's dense but lightweight and will not put undue strain on ceilings or walls.
• It prevents the common batt insulation problem loss performance due to poor installation.
• It provides an engery efficient insulation seal for your ceiling which means less use of fans, coolers, air conditioners and heating units, resulting in low engery bills.
