Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Aug 16, 2011 8:02 am We sit on top of a hill facing west. Our upstairs area gets very, very, very hot, as in sauna hot in summer. We are making a lot of changes to improve our energy efficiency including large roof overhangs, cross ventilation etc. However there is one bedroom wall that we can't do much with, it will be hit solidly by the sun from lunch till sun down, so we want to put some top notch insulation in the wall to fend off as much heat as possible. The wall will have foam render, not sure on the exact name of the product, it is the styrofoam that you render over the top of, on the outside which already gives up some good insulation, but would like wall bats or something as well. What would be the best? Re: Insulation suggestions for West facing wall 2Aug 16, 2011 8:30 am The highest R factor insulation you can find. You never mentioned whether this west facing wall had windows or a view ? No view then plant out with some tall shading trees. The principals of passive solar design are: Sleeping areas facing South, living North, very few windows to the East and as little as possible windows to the West, preferably none at all. Re: Insulation suggestions for West facing wall 3Aug 16, 2011 8:38 am eyspy The highest R factor insulation you can find. You never mentioned whether this west facing wall had windows or a view ? No view then plant out with some tall shading trees. The principals of passive solar design are: Sleeping areas facing South, living North, very few windows to the East and as little as possible windows to the West, preferably none at all. Unfortunately our view (and therefore window) is to the west and the orientation of the block has us fasing east and west. North facing looks straight at a rock, south straight at a house! We can't put a plant there as it is on the second level with a roof directly below it. One of the tradies, who is also building a home, mentioned something about a more fibrous insulation batt that is actually accoustic insulation. Are the accoustic ones better for thermal insulation? We are going to go for the highest R value we can get, however just wondering if there are particular brands/styles that are best for walls. Re: Insulation suggestions for West facing wall 4Aug 16, 2011 9:07 am ~steph~ .... Are the accoustic ones better for thermal insulation? We are going to go for the highest R value we can get, however just wondering if there are particular brands/styles that are best for walls. I am fairly sure that it all comes down to the R value on what works best regardless of acoustic qualities or otherwise, I will stand corrected if wrong. You could put a wind out awning that could be extended for the heat of the day then wound back in when not so hot ? Re: Insulation suggestions for West facing wall 5Aug 16, 2011 3:07 pm Put a highly reflective (80%+) tinted film on the window it won't spoil your view but will make a huge difference to the heat that gets into the room. We had the same problem and got the local Tint a Car franchise in. The guy who installed it on a sunny day was amazed at the difference it made to the room within minutes of being installed. Probably only cost a couple of hundred dollars and well worth it. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Insulation suggestions for West facing wall 6Sep 19, 2011 9:21 pm Check out aircell products. Don't forget you can have a combination of insulation. I'm planning to have (inside to outside) gyprock (or possibly some sort of internal plywood cladding , then a reflective layer reflecting inwards (that's to keep heat in during winter, then a gap, then bulk insulation R2 or 2.5 (polyester), then a gap, then one of the Aircell foilboard (I think it has some sort of polystyrene attached), then my shadowclad! Ideally I'd be building in strawbale or hempcrete, with a natural render, wool insulation where needed, but hey, I'm not perfect! Oh, have you looked at getting a screen/awning made for above the window with slats angled to keep out the summer sun but let in the winter sun? Good luck - sounds like things will be more comfortable for you this summer. Re: Insulation suggestions for West facing wall 7Sep 20, 2011 7:55 pm The rendered polystyrene is a good product. You should also have reflective foil (eg bradford enviroseal, or air cell or similar, with an air gap (important) to reflect away the heat. Then, on the inside you should have r2.5 rockwool batts (these are the acoustic insulation). Finally, put a vertiscreen automated awning on the window and make it double glazed. This will give you a good result (better but more expensive than the tint). Also, you could paint the wall white or a light colour. Re: Insulation suggestions for West facing wall 8Sep 20, 2011 8:30 pm Excellent, thank you, will have a look at the aircell/enviroocell products. Great timing that this has come up again as we are gyprocking next week and will do the insulation this week! Once the house is done we will also be putting an external blind on the window, but it is fairly small anyway, it was the wall I was mostly worried about right now as we are able to do something about it now, but not once the gyprock is on. It might be a bit darker in the mornings but the light is still light, so you should be getting it. Similar to what you see from your western windows 3 19991 The warning is on the sticker on the door too. Second the aluminium powdercoat 6 18204 Hi all, Just wondering if anyone had suggestions on installing/replacing wall insulation on an external wall which doesn't have wrap, our miners cottage being constructed… 0 4955 |