Stick to the insulation facts – ICANZ
30/Oct/2009
Stick to the insulation facts – ICANZ
The Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand (ICANZ) has today urged all parties involved or providing public comment on the Federal Energy Efficiency Homes program to stick to the known facts about insulation.
Mr Dennis D’Arcy ICANZ CEO said that in recent times a number of inaccurate and misleading statements about glasswool and rockwool insulation products have been made.
“Importantly, glasswool and rockwool batts are non-combustible (fire safe), and will not conduct electricity, and the products’ thermal and safety performance is guaranteed for the life of the structure.
“Of the half million homes insulated to date, there has been less than half of one per cent alleged incidents of non-compliance. Where any problems exist, they relate to compliance with Standards that have been a prerequisite to the Federal program from its inception,” Mr D’Arcy said.
There are many other insulation products available and the incorrect use of the generic name ‘batts’ in association with all concerns is very misleading and casts dispersions on insulation products manufactured by ICANZ members.
Mr D’Arcy said that in less than eight months, this remarkable program has already insulated half a million homes, will save tens of millions of dollars on total household energy bills each year, and create greenhouse savings in the order of 450,000 tonnes each year for the lifetime of the homes already insulated.
Additionally, prior to this program, insulation supplied to the existing Australian homes market, which at the time accounted for less than 10 per cent of the total homes’ market, was not governed by product standards or installation standards, and did not require installer registration or training.
This program has delivered these new requirements and been welcomed by ICANZ and the industry.
“ICANZ also endorses the Government’s program of more vigilant auditing and site inspections and that every individual person who is installing insulation undergoes training to ensure they understand the product Standards and the required OH&S measures,” Mr D’Arcy said.
“The glasswool and rockwool products produced by ICANZ members have a life time warranty on both their thermal and safety qualities.
“We recommend householders gain two quotes and asked for thermal and safety product warranties prior to committing to having insulation installed,” Mr D’Arcy added.
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Media inquiries: Glenn Schaube: 0439 320 151 GRS Communications
