NEWS RELEASE                             For immediate release: 15 January 2007

          Homeowners robbed by poor insulation installation

Around 20% of Australian homeowners are being robbed of both advertised personal comfort
levels and lower energy costs due to poor insulation industry installation practices, according to a
leading insulation industry manufacturers' association.
Australian Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association (ACIMA) President, Laurie Moylan,
said in Melbourne today poor insulation installation is also seriously undermining Federal, State &
Territory government plans to improve building energy efficiency in the residential housing
market, aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
ACIMA represents those cellulose insulation companies who manufacture & install more than
80% of the national cellulose insulation market.
Mr. Moylan called on State & Territory governments to urgently undertake a national audit of
insulation installation practices.
He said ACIMA had played a key role in the development of over the past decade of the recently
introduced Australian/New Zealand insulation product standard AS/NZS 4859.1
"To see the new product standard's minimum thermal performance requirements compromised
when insulation products are poorly installed, is most disappointing.
"Such wide-spread poor installation practices not only short-change consumers, but also make a
mockery of projected energy savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions nationally due to the
regulatory driven insulation uptake in Australia's new & retro-fit housing markets in recent years.
Mr. Moylan said that the vast majority of installation problems occurred in the installation of batt-
type insulation.
"This is because insulation batts are cut off-site by manufacturers & don't always snugly fit the
space between the ceiling joists. When you consider that independent contractors do the majority
of batt insulation installation nationally, it's not hard to see how cutting corners during installation
occurs.
"For example, BRANZ research shows that in ceilings installing an R3.0 insulation batt with only
a very small, say 4 millimetre gap, will reduce the batt's performance by 50% to R1.5.
"Similarly, in walls the reduction is even more significant where only a 1 millimetre gap will
reduce the insulation performance by 50%.
"CSIRO research also supports the serious impact on insulation performance of poor installation".


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Mr. Moylan said that ACIMA members' manufactured and installed cellulose ceiling insulation
fortunately was not subject to these installation problems due to the "no gaps" properties of loose-
fill insulation, which always fits snugly up against the ceiling joists.
"Also, consumers are protected by our Association members' unique installed product
performance guarantee ­ an insulation industry first for Australia," he concluded.


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About ACIMA
The Australian Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association (ACIMA) promotes the use of
correctly installed, Australian Standards approved insulation technology as the most cost-effective
means of improving building energy efficiency in Australia, thereby reducing energy consumption
& greenhouse gas emissions.


For further information please contact:

Laurie Moylan                                      Kevin Herbert
President                                          Secretary
ACIMA                                              ACIMA
Mob: 0418 359 454                                  Mob: 0418 679 131




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