Australia is a land of climatic extremes; some parts very hot, others very cold.Someareasare extremely hot by day in mid- summer, yet equally cold at night during winter. Raised in hot houses, delicate, exotic plants thrive - people wilt. Controlling temp- erature extremes to produce comfortable housing can be easy or difficult; economical or | expensive, ‘The secret: There isn’t one. The answer: Make houses more energy efficient. Heat flow into and out ofa building is ‘often the reverse of that required. How ‘evar, if natural heat can be controled. the need forheatingand cooling canbe reduced Further passive solar design principles can be employed to ensure that a house is warm in winter and cool ‘in summer Designing and building eneray elic jent housing provides everyone with the opportunity toescape the burden of spiralling energy costs ‘Almost three-quarters of all heat entering an uninsulated house, and much of that escaping, does 30 through the roof How the sur’ ration acts on a roof | A Shining Example of Energy Efficiency “Heat paths into and out of your home. ‘Therefare the choice of roofing and insulation materials is mos? impsrtant. ‘When the sun shines onto roof some of the solar radiation is reflected back into the atmosphere and the balance is absorbed, raising the temperature of the roofing material to well above ambient. The proportions of radiation absorbed or reflected depend on the colour and nature of the surface, Shiny surfaces and light colours reflect much ofthe radiation while dark colours and dull surfaces absorb more thus raising their temperature much higher TBS Annee [as Itshould not, therefore, come as a sur: prise to learn that the most energy eff cient rooting material commonly used today is the modern equivalent of Aus tralia’s first reliable roofing material, galvanised iron Long life ZINCALUME steel absorbs less than haifthe lteatabsorbedby tiles, Of-white COLORBOND steel rooting, installed overreflective[oil sarkingand 50mm of fibreglass insulation, allows the tansfer of a mere 2% of the heat radiated by brown Iles. Comparten of heat alate downwards into abulg by dilornt ng materials.lumber uses insulation on a daily basis, yet because of the way the market has deve! d, only a few plumbers have acquired a full under- Every roof standing of the way the various roofing com- ponents interact to form atotalinsulation system. Sometimes insulation seems to fail the task set forit,althoughitappears to fall withinthe product specification. Explain- ing this type of failure to customers often falls to the plumber. So here are the ins and outs of insulation. Understanding the problem When a customer gets huge power pills just after paying for expensive insulation, he understandably gets mad, And the person he gets mad atia the tradesman. or company that installed the insulation, Neither he nor anyoneelse suspectsthatthe insulation doesnt have fixed performance. The ideathatinsulation rated at R2may only perform at R9 has never been address- ed in consumer advertising, or even in trade advertising for that matter, Responsible inswlation companies are now moving to make sure tradesmen understandthe limitations ofthe various products, ‘To understand the limitations, the tradesman needs to understand the range of tasks standard insulations perform. Insulation in a roofing system has three tasks. The first is thermal insul- ation, keeping the heat out during summerandthe heat induringwinterit insulation systems worked equally at both tasksthe problem would)be minor, bbutin general they keepheat outbetter than they keep heat in, and in colder climates the difference can be critical ‘Task numbertwo isas moisture bar- rier keeping rain out, and keeping inte- rior moisture away from the inside sur- faces of metal deck roofto avoid con- densation and corrosion. Keeping your cool lem -it costs a lot of money to heat the roof space, so th need to install ceiling batts, But ceiling batts are not a substitute for the blanket against the cladding, In a cathedral or flat roof, with enclosed rafters, he air space is small, andlittieheatis usedtowarmthis air but thetotalinsulationneedstohavesimilar thermal efficiencies to the total gable oof system. In this case the blanket needs to be much heavier to compen: sate for the absence of the batts, Unfortunately insulation often doesn perform the task assigned to it, mainly because itis only one component in a total roofing system, each part of which can add to insulation efficiency if prop- Third is acoustic insulation. Older style gable roofs, clad with tiles, were ood acoustic insulators, but they were ery heavy, creating some structural difficulties. The modern metal deck structure is mych lighter, with many advantages, but one disadvantage hi been the reduction in acoustical perfor- mance. Sound attenuation is an import- ant property of insulation materials ‘Thermal insulation is what most cus- tomers know they are looking for, and cost savings on heating and coolingare aprimereason fr insulation installation. For different roof styies the problems are slighty different but a common set ofprinciples applies Firstly once heat or cold getsinside a ofits much harder to deal with Sothe primary insulation ngeds to be placed hard up against the roof cladding Ina gable toof there is a secondary prob: erly used, or wrongly used can let heat through as if there were no insulation present A typical roof can have ten or more components, each of which has 2 separate thermal resistance. The total resistance ofall the components is the real R-rating of the roof For instance a gable roof has three air gaps, each of Which plays an important part in help- ing other components function as well as themselves acting as insulation. A reflective air gap of l00mm belowa foil moisture bartlet can itself have an R value of up to 142, a really significant contribution to saving energy. Roof trusses and purlins made of timber stop heat penetration of the roof through the metal fastenings, on the other hand metal support structures allow heat to flow freely Cutting down the heat flowthrough metalstnucturesis,an important area of increasing total insulation performance, Dow-Corning market a polystyrene strip called Deckmate, rated at RI, which is laid between the truss or purlin and the metal roof. Properly mated with the main insulation it ensues a continucus thermal barrier across the whole roof. Like all materials each type of insul- ation has a specific thermal Resistance value, the R tating. Although thermal efficiency has long been used by engineers, the R system became more publigly knownaspartofthemarketing strategies of the major manufacturers. Under tast conditions the R rating truly reflects the difference between differ entproducts. An R2battor blanket does have double the thermal efficiency of an RI batt of blanket. The problem is that an R2 batt when installed wort necessarily have a thermal efficiency of R2 installation mistakes can reduce the nominal value ofthe installed insulation. ‘Themostcommonislayingthe suppor- ing wire mesh down too tightly s6 the insviation blanket is compressed, A 100mm R2 blanket compressed to 25mm drops its rating to between R25 andR4,Jessthanaquatterofits nominal value Ifthe mesh is slack enough to allow a small air gap between the metal deck and the insulation the air gapitselfacts as insulation, as does the thin boundary layer ofairon theoutsics oft root This boundary layer varies in thickness according to wind strength, but a thin film of ait always remains stationary close to the oof ‘Theair gapbetweenthe insulation and ceilingalsoaddsto insulation, butmany modern houses have cathedral type ceilings, often lined with timber panels According to bopular lagend timber ceilings are good insulators In fact the insulation value of a timber ceiling is very low, Cedar panelling has a higher thermal resistance (R38), than pine (R25}.Butthe contribution oftimberina cathedral ceiling is nowhere near enoughto compensate orthelack ofair gaps and the often compressed insula- Soablanket Enclosedbeamscanaddic the thermal resistance of a cathedral ceiling, but not by great amounts Older tile oof had no true moisture barriers, and fit installed under tiles as, a moistute barrier often loses much of itsinsulation valieas dust settleson the foil, A metal deck roof can have three moisture barriers, the metal itself (especially when joints between sheetsars sealedusing silicone orpoly- ‘urethane),a Imm plastic sarking some insulation makers tecommend and a hillayerbondedtotheundersideofthe insulation, The amount of moisture inside the house however is as big a probiem as the rain, snow, hail, or mist on the out side. There aré many sources of mois- ture inside the house, and the interior temperatures are high enough io keep humidity levelsfairiy high Ifthis humid ait contacts a cold surface condensa- tion occurs. Upside don installation off backed insulation, withthe iagainst the metal, allows the moisture from inside the house to rise to where it can condense ‘on the metel, Proper installation of the foil allows the temperature to rise slighty from the outside through to the foil This temperature gradients norm- ally enough oraisethe iltemperature above the dewpoint so that conden: fon no longer occurs. Condensation can produce 2 range of, undesirable results, such as staining of painted surfaces and the promotion of Mould and mildew, corrosion of fixing screws or structural steel, and water damage to stock or equipment inside thebuilding Increased ventilation can't berelied onto prevent condensation it can even aggravate the problem, ftlogically folowsthatany gapthrough the moisture barrier is a potential source of trouble. So sealing of the fol with pressure sensitive tape is imperative ‘Acoustic insulation is a by-product of the thermal insulation material select- ed. Walls and partitions may also require insuiation to cut down the total noise penetration. Heavy (oil installed with an air gap between it and the metal deck adds considerably to the accustic insulation The heavy foil is ‘dead’ and doesn’? reverberate so the drummingofrain on the roof no longer penetrates inside. Which insulation product? ‘There are eight cormmon insulation products used in rools and walls fit Taminates, fibreglass batts (or rock- wool) fibreglass batts with a foil facing, fibreglassblankets, fioreglassblankets with folfacings, expanded paty syrene, extruded palysiyrene, and loose fill CORRECT INSTALLATION ETAL DECK INCORRECT INSTALLATION The R rating ofthe insulation is severely echiced witon compressed against the supporting wie mesh METAL. DECI. INSULATION] 100mm or more, and a 1mm gypsum ceiling,thentotaisummerinsulationisR TYPES OF anaes 298 and the winter value reduces to R ‘eres [ oapet | tober Jo ta |*na| | 195,Butifthe ceilingishard up against INSULATION {22 | sss] | age” | | | the insulation in a cathedral type root, oy then the insulation effects are dramati- cally lower with summer values of R15 land winter vahies of only R L¢7 7 stot tor appication sown or | For the inexperienced the absence of TYPtSOF INSULATION —— the air gap would appear tobe instar icant butis eally equivalentto another (> eee layer of insulation. he in in the table over the page, we show i Ralls ¥Y\iv\|v | | what contribution each component 2° Fovegias bane makes to the overal result in various & roof types Using these as a guide you Sy lA |e YA} | it be able to increase the theral eens ‘ang of a srutie by changing or Qe BR adding materials to increase thermat 4\4 | | fesistance. For instance changing a Fibres Biante celing lining fom 18mm gypsum to : Sanu Western red cedar can add an i 4ifie {0.27 othetotal resistance Thecostof Fomgesintas such a change is quite significant and nha the gain could be made much more . 4 Ale cheaply by changing the thickness of ee aifrentype petbepsnoupeange a LH AH [A] | toate provice a reflective ait gap, be The major manufacturers produce I niaiael S airecy compeiive produc bul 3 Zs new product on the market from ACLis Se. PENA VE 10 - the R Blanket or R Plus Blanket, which LF Lace Fi Materale ha fed Rating The tinge ofthe 7 new material are R125,R).75 and R225, ee allah making it distinctly different, materlaissuch asbeads These are sold in standard thicknesses, each of which ha a nominal R rating. Normally an architect or builder has on specified both the thickness and type of the insulation, but an experienced installer can often pick up mistakes made in specification Lifting ¢ metal deck, replacing the | insulation, and relaying sheets van be very expensive. Better to rule a few feathersandhaye everyonehappy with emcee theresult,thanto goagainstthelessons of experience ove Alok at the map will show the min- imum R rating for your area. ‘see, ‘A major trap for installers however is given insulation. The installed resi ance value will be much lower, with Shoclamadcents: | MINIMUM ing what can happen in two different casés where the same product has R VALUES. been fitted. Han 126 blanket is fitted underneath ‘ametal roof with a reflective air gap ofTHERMAL PERFORMANCE OF ROOFING SYSTEMS EXAMPLES OF CALCULATING TOTAL R VALUES: 1, Metal deck without ceiling CONSTRUCTION Resistance R rea Outside air fm Metal Deck Insulation blanket Reflective fol laminate Reflective air space os | ozs TOTALR 209 | 1st 2, Metal deck with ceiling i “~—— + + Outside air fim cot | 003 Metal Deck o ° Insulation blanket 103 | 1a Reflective foil laminate 0 o 100mm Reflective airspace 142 | 0.48 13mm Gypsum board cos | 008 Indoor air film ois {ou TOTALR 298 | 1.98 3. Pitched metal deck with cathedral ceiling i. W Outside air fim 008 | 0.03 a Ty ‘Metal Deck o 0 ye wey Inman Hanot yas | Las A = fa ive fll laminate ae Heroes bt | 13mm Gypaum board 008 | 008 ee Indoor air film oas | ou TOTALR 2at | 2.00 4. Pitched metal deck with cathedral ceiling and fully exposed rafters. Outside air film 004 | 0.04 Metal Deck, 0 ° Insulation blanket 128 | 1.25 Reflective folllaminate 0 ° Zero Reflective air space 0 ° 13mm Gypsum board 08 | 008 Indoor air film 013 [on TOTALR 180 [Lar Summary Moderninsulatonis changing tomeet the increasing demand for energy Savings. Tacesmen wo fal to Keep pace with the changes will see their Business disappearing as consumers start to understand how installation workmanship is critical in achieving satisfactory results, The other factor is. that tradesmen must demand accurate information from the insulation supp- Tiers, without it, you'll always be left vulnerable to irate consumers, Of course the opposite is possible, With experience, positive knowledge, and skill, you can gain a reputation which will keep business rolling for years to come .. but then that’ what being master tradesman is all about