Compliance with H1 Energy Efficiency regulations for building approvals in New Zealand is a necessity for new houses and major renovation projects.

The H1 regulations have introduced the most significant changes ever to energy efficiency in New Zealand housing, and are intended to ensure homes are more comfortable, healthier and use less energy. Insulation is proving to be one of the easiest and most important considerations for cost-effective compliance for builders.

With most builders wanting to introduce higher levels of energy efficiency in new homes, but also retain existing construction methods, the specification of higher performance insulation is a cost-effective way to offset expensive windows and doors.

Knauf Insulation's single layer R7.0 ceiling solution was used in a traditional new bungalow in Tauranga that enabled both a faster installation and lower cost compared to other options for H1 compliance.

During installation, testing was conducted using Knauf Insulation's R7.0 single layer ceiling insulation and a thinner double-layer insulation system.

The eaves were treated using two solutions:

1. 105mm R3.4 perimeter batt (without the need for a separation barrier from the roof)
2. 330mm R7.0 ceiling batt compressed into the eave using a barrier to maintain the ventilation requirements.

Both methods achieved H1 compliance and removed the need for a change in the truss design, however the R7.0 single layer proved to be 40% quicker to install than double layer. The single layer solution provides a continuous layer of insulation with no thermal bridging, and is designed to knit around timber, pipes, and cables, with no need for further notching.

"The single layer solution from Knauf Insulation is much faster and easier to install, covers everything, and provides better in-situ performance than a double-layer system," says professional insulation installer, Mark Fairclough, Install Solutions. "Plus, there's no notching required, and it can be easily compressed to fit into the eaves. It's definitely a better choice."

Why Knauf Insulation?

Knauf Insulation’s R7.0 single layer ceiling insulation batt was selected for multiple reasons, including:

• Its ability to deliver significant savings in labour, which reduced the overall project cost
• The easy placement of cables, pipes, and other services
• Less material wastage
• Increased thermal performance above and around the timber beams
• Eliminates the need for multiple products to be installed

Overall, it was less complex to install and easier to demonstrate compliance compared to other insulation solutions. It also delivered faster, easier and more cost-effective H1 compliance.

Knauf Insulation developed the R7.0 single layer ceiling insulation batt to ensure H1 compliance from beginning to end in new builds.

Discover more here.