Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Nov 06, 2017 1:39 pm Hi all, I am looking at installing ceiling insulation in my house (Sydney Hills district). I have seen varying opinions on here about the recommended R-values for insulation. I was wondering if there is a trade off in performance advantage with additional cost of installing R5.0 or R6.0 versus going with only R4.0 and maybe installing a few whirly birds to get the hot air out of the roof? Probably looking at 120-130m square metres. Thanks in advance Re: Insulation Rating vs Whirly-birds 3Nov 06, 2017 1:58 pm Well R4.0 is going to be a huge difference to the current R0.0 and with a wood heater that can keep burning overnight I am not as worried about winter - we tend to survive OK at the moment! We really struggle in summer on the heatwave days which is why I'm asking if it is better to have the whirly birds to get the heat out of the roof rather than thicker insulation trying to "block" the heat from getting in and then also stopping the heat from escaping during the night in summer. Insulation Rating vs Whirly-birds 4Nov 06, 2017 2:15 pm I'm afraid I don’t know the answer, because it comes down to doing a cost-benefit analysis, and what you can afford. What’s the difference in price of R6.0 or R5.0 insulation over R4.0 versus the cost of buying and installing whirlybirds? Apart from the wood heater, the solutions you are proposing are passive (after initial outlay). The following might help: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/design-climate http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/passive-cooling http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/insulation I do note that whirlybirds are not mentioned when discussing design for Sydney. Also, remember that whirlybirds work all year round, so any heat you might build up in the winter will be extracted too - just something to think about. Re: Insulation Rating vs Whirly-birds 7Nov 12, 2017 10:13 am arcadelt I'm afraid I don’t know the answer, because it comes down to doing a cost-benefit analysis, and what you can afford. What’s the difference in price of R6.0 or R5.0 insulation over R4.0 versus the cost of buying and installing whirlybirds? Apart from the wood heater, the solutions you are proposing are passive (after initial outlay). The following might help: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/design-climate http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/passive-cooling http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design/insulation I do note that whirlybirds are not mentioned when discussing design for Sydney. Also, remember that whirlybirds work all year round, so any heat you might build up in the winter will be extracted too - just something to think about. see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com 10 years ago was a different software than we use now. it has had a lot of changes over the past years. Improvments to the software and changes to how Nathers models need… 8 1547 Hey guys building a new place through a volume builder and just wondering if i should complain to the site supervisor as we just had plasterboard installed. Looks like… 0 11279 1000000% definitely add insulation. I have in my home and it makes a big difference minimising sound transfer. Insulation is pretty cheap and definitely worth it 2 6211 |