The Affiliated Insulation Industry Coalition (AIIC)

🚀 The Affiliated Insulation Industry Coalition, in collaboration with the Energy Efficiency Council, is pleased to announce the release of the 2024 Insulation Installation Roadmap. “Millions of Australian homes, built before mandatory energy efficiency requirements, are in desperate need of significant thermal performance upgrades. These improvements will not only create healthier, more comfortable living environments, but also generate thousands of stable jobs over the next decade,” says Stuart Braine, Deputy Chair of the AIIC. Read the roadmap here: https://lnkd.in/gFGzuAAD Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association (ATTMA), Australian Institute of Building Surveyors, Australian Insulation Installers Association (AIIA), Australian Modern Building Alliance (AMBA), Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), Electrical Trades Union of Australia, Housing Industry Association (HIA), Insulation Australasia, Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, Master Builders Australia, prefabAUS, Property Council of Australia

Tech alone will not make homes comfortable or reduce bills during extreme heatwaves unless 'technology' includes wall, roof, and floor insulation and much better airtightness in renovation projects and new homes. We spoke with Sarah Brookes about our clear evidence for insulation and targeted support to quickly build momentum in the home renovation space. It's a no-brainer to insulate and gap seal before worrying about solar

“Insulation impacts how we work, play and live,” says Stuart Braine, Insulation Australasia board member. He says that ultimately, success for the insulation industry is a high level of understanding of the role and value of the product in the construction industry, and in the community. Read more from Stuart in this industry spotlight: https://lnkd.in/gwF_K6Wq #insulation #thermalperformance #energyefficiency

🔑 In New Zealand, recent analysis shows that the government overestimated the costs of meeting new insulation standards for homes, potentially by as much as tens of thousands of dollars. Similarly, the insulation industry in Australia points out that concerns over rising construction costs due to improved thermal performance are often exaggerated. With proper planning, costs can be effectively managed—especially by including good levels of insulation in ceilings and walls. The insulation industry has been, and continues to be, ready to collaborate with the construction sector on strategies to enhance building standards while maintaining profitability. More from New Zealand here: https://lnkd.in/giwAf39j #Insulation #EnergyEfficiency #BuildingStandards #ThermalPerformance

Decarbonising our homes: US insights with Australian relevance 🇺🇸➡️🇦🇺 Key takeaways: 🔸 Insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency. These upgrades can drastically reduce heating and cooling costs, making homes more comfortable year-round. 🔸 Investing in higher R-value materials means better long-term savings—this is just as important in our climate where extreme temperatures are common. 🔸 Air sealing and insulation work together to prevent drafts, meaning your home stays cooler in summer and warmer in winter without wasting energy. Read more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gqttYd3Q #insulation #energyefficiency #thermalperformance

Michael Ambrose, senior experimental scientist at CSIRO says before installing solar panels on your old home, you need to first consider insulation. "Going from no insulation to a well-insulated home could reduce your heating and cooling costs by 45 per cent or even more. Combined with other energy efficiency measures, like appliances, an energy efficient home will deliver significant savings on your energy bills," he says. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g3jXByPx #insulation #thermalperformance #energyefficiency

A new Australian Housing and Urban Institute research has found that about 70 per cent of households have reported building quality problems. It also found that most of Australia's existing housing stock was energy-inefficient and of poor quality. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gnPKbfc6 #energyefficiency #thermalperformance #insulation

"A person’s mental health declines significantly when they can’t afford to warm their homes or they cannot keep a room in their home warm – their odds of reporting depression or anxiety increases by 49 per cent...[but]...cold housing isn’t currently considered as a risk factor for poor mental health. And our findings go some way to explaining the socio-economic disparities for mental health in Australia. In fact, we have estimated that improving cold housing would lead to six times more health gain for low socio-economic groups compared to high socio-economic groups. And this would help to meet the gold standard for a public health intervention that improves health and reduces health inequalities. It is true that, compared to housing in colder climates, our homes lack things like insulation and glazing that help our indoor temperatures remain stable and warm. But the reasons for higher rates of excess winter mortality in Australia (compared to countries with colder climates) goes beyond the insulation and glazing. In Australia, the high cost of housing and lack of protection for tenants in our rental market means that socio-economically disadvantaged populations have become concentrated in poor quality housing." The AIIC supports insulation and thermal performance upgrades in social housing, and via minimum rental standards to alleviate energy poverty and foster safer and more comfortable indoor air temperatures for everyone. Read more of this article from the University of Melbourne here: https://lnkd.in/gmJevpzv #energypoverty #energyefficiency #thermalperformance #insulation

Good to see builds with "no high-tech features, just good design and building principles and attention to detail," getting their due. The HIA Australian GreenSmart Home and HIA Australian GreenSmart Custom Built Home of the Year "features a solar-passive design, thorough insulation, PVC-framed double glazing and minimum air leakage to achieve an 8.1-star energy rating... A central ceiling fan with an integrated light and wall-mounted lighting with LED strips on pelmets means there are no holes in the ceiling, no gaps in the insulation, and no potential for air leakage through the ceiling." Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gDRejKF6 #insulation #thermalperformance #energyefficiency

Australians deserve homes that are comfortable, healthy and affordable to heat and cool. Improving the thermal efficiency of homes and the energy efficiency of home appliances will greatly reduce the energy needed by homes, which will reduce home energy bills and carbon emissions. The Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH) project is a collaborative research project working closely with communities and governments to develop a platform to facilitate energy upgrades nationwide. We’re doing this by bringing together experts from across Australia to gather evidence and create tools for developing and implementing community-level home energy upgrade programs. Our goal is to facilitate upgrading 1 million existing Australian homes by 2030. We want to hear about your energy upgrade initiative. If you are leading a community, industry or government program which is bringing or wants to bring energy upgrades to your community, please fill out our survey. We want to understand the landscape of energy upgrade programs in Australia. Complete our survey to tell us about your program and help us learn about what programs need to deliver home energy upgrade initiatives. Tell us more about your program and express your interest in working with the Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes project here: https://lnkd.in/gpWteUNB