With Energy Prices Soaring, Australians Will Need to Look at Roof Insulation as a Way to Save

Melbourne, Victoria -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/03/2017 --As widely reported in recent weeks, energy prices are set to jump significantly in the coming months. NSW residents can expect to see several hundred dollars a year added to their annual bill, and ACT residents can reportedly expect to pay up to $600 more per year. SA, and (to a lesser extent) QLD customers will also be impacted by increasing prices, while energy users in VIC will need to wait until December to find out what they'll be paying going forward.

In the wake of these announcements, Pricewise Insulation expects to see an increased demand for its roof insulation products. Paul van Oord is the director of this Melbourne insulation company. While Pricewise's head office is in Melbourne, they also have a Sydney office and warehouse, in addition to a solid network of partner suppliers throughout all the States. When asked what impact he expected to see on the insulation business, his reply was cautiously optimistic. "There are still a huge number of uninsulated homes in Australia's biggest cities. People living in these homes have already been paying through the roof for all the extra energy being wasted. So we expect that the increased prices will trigger increased action from many of these homeowners to at least get some insulation in their roof space, since the roof is by far where most of the heating and cooling is lost in winter and summer."

And what about homes that are already insulated? Then it comes down to the R value of the insulation which is in place. Mr van Oord explained: "The performance of insulation is measured by R-value, for example by how effective it is at restricting the transfer of heat. Generally, the thicker the insulation, the higher the R-value, though there are also other factors at play here, such as whether the insulation is lined with a reflective foil, and also how well it is installed."

While it's commonly known that insulation, especially in the roof space -helps to save energy, many consumers may not consider that the higher the cost of electricity, the more there is to be saved by increasing the R-value of the insulation in their home. This can be achieved by topping up the old insulation with an extra layer, or, if the old insulation had been there for many decades, it could be tempting to vacuum it all out and replace with a new and improved layer.

Mr Van Orrd said, we used to see a lot of homes being installed with as little as an R2.5 or R3.0 in the ceiling, but the trend is now moving towards R4.0 +. Some homeowners will install as high as an R6.0, and the way energy prices are going, this is definitely not overkill as he concludes.

About Pricewise Insulation
Pricewise Insulation sells thermal and acoustic insulation batts to all capital cities and many regional centres in Australia. Their key brands include Knauf Earthwool, Pink Batts, GreenStuf, Bradford Gold Batts and Kingspan's hi-performance insulation products.

Pricewise supplies ceiling insulation, wall insulation, underfloor insulation and reflective foil at wholesale prices to the commercial and home builder market.

In addition to their own insulation warehouses in Melbourne and Sydney, they also have an extensive network of partner suppliers throughout Australia.