The Greening of Gavin

Liveable Home – Ceiling Insulation Top Up

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Our comfortable home transformation is nearly complete.  We now have thermally efficient ceiling insulation!  Boy, does it make a difference.

So let me take you on a ceiling insulation top up journey.

A while back we booked a thermal assessment for our home with ecoMaster, a local company who operate out of Gisborne.  They suggested that we needed to top up our ceiling insulation as the blown cellulose pulp (aka pulped newspaper) was not up to the job.  We kind of new that, because whenever I had ventured into the roof space, I noticed that there were always varying depths of the pulp on top of the ceiling plaster board.

So, we saved our pennies and booked the installation.

ecoMaster

The team from ecoMaster arrived on time as promised, and the two gents, Garth and Alex were nice blokes who knew their stuff.  Funnily enough, they were just like us; green.

The product they used was called GreenStuf.  It is made from recycled PET bottles.

IMG_0864

It also does not contain any formaldehyde which is sometimes used as a binder to hold the fibres together.  It is also made in Australia, so we are supporting local businesses.

ceiling insulation

Pretty cool stuff.  We love the fact ecoMaster uses products that are made from recycled materials.  When installed correctly, it provides an insulation value of R2.5.

gaps in ceiling insulation

The gents were kind enough to take some before and after photos for us while they were crawling around the roof space.  They even found some areas that were void of insulation completely.  No wonder we had rooms that were hot in summer.

Insulation 1

Some of the spaces were fairly tight, so they certainly did a great job at fitting the stuff.  During their brakes, Garth and Alex learnt about all the cool things we do to live a more sustainable lifestyle, and I even gave them a tour.  They both talked about how they incorporate simple and sustainable living in their own lives.  It was very refreshing to talk to them both.

Insulation 2

Closer to the edge of the eaves, they found more areas that were void of blown pulp.  I don’t know how they crawled in there, but they covered up the gaps.

Bare extractor fan fitted with Top Hat

Bare extractor fan fitted with Top Hat

Also there was a massive gap around the bathroom extractor fan, so they fitted a cover which is known as a top hat.  It has two flaps that rise up when the fan is turned on.  You can see that the gap is no more and the insulation is nice and tight around the top hat.

Downlight Mitt within insulation

As for the downlight mitts that were installed a few weeks back, the insulation was able to be placed right up next to it.  No more gaps around the light fittings, and no more heat ingress through these ceiling holes.

So did it work?  Well today was proof that it did.  It was a unseasonally warm spring day at 28°C (82.4 F).  The inside temperature stayed a comfortable 22°C all day.  Additionally, a few days ago it got down to 5°C in the morning and it was still a very comfortable 18°C inside without any heating (not that we have had any on all winter).

And the cost?  All up it was $2107 including installation.  Oh, and Kim gave them a few bars of soap.  Not because they were dirty, but because no one leaves our place without a home-made gift!  It is just the way we are.

We are due to have double glazing installed mid-October, so that should also reduce the insulation factor of the north facing rooms, which get the hottest in summer.  Looking forward to having a more comfortable home during our Angry Summer and to reducing our reliance on air-conditioning!  It should save us swags off our power bill.

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Brass Monkey Challenge – Verdict

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During the challenge we hoped that by not heating the house we would save a bit of money on the gas bill.  Surely it would reduce from the same period last year if we didn’t turn on the gas space heater.

So you can imagine my surprise when our gas bill arrived in the post and it was slightly higher than our winter bill last year!  A daily average of 80.24 MJ per day up from 75.46 MJ last winter.  WTF????

Gas bill graph

Hang on a minute, I thought, as I scoured over the details.  There has to be something wrong; how can it be so?

Once I had calmed down, I managed to figure out that it was an estimate only.  I hate that.  The excuse on the bill was “dog” which is strange because the dogs are rarely outside during the day except for ablutions – especially during winter – and we usually wait out there with them.

Anyway, I quickly read the gas meter and worked out that we had actually only used a daily average of 36.77 MJ per day!  Success at last.  In reality, it cut my bill in half.

But here’s the rub.  Because I would have to pay to have meter re-read, we chose to pay the bill and get a credit next billing cycle.  There should be $75 coming my way.

So it was worthwhile in the end, financially.  We didn’t feel uncomfortable and if we did start to feel a chill, we put on another layer.  If you are interested in how we fared during over the winter, check out the other Brass Monkey Challenge posts.

Now that we know that we can survive without heating, next year will be easy.  Especially when in a few short days we will have extra insulation in the ceiling cavity and in mid October the north facing windows get replaced with double glazed units.  Not only will we have no issues keeping the place warm next winter, it will also keep out the heat in summer.

Looking forward to reporting our next liveable home update on Wednesday!

Liveable Home Update – Glass Brick Window

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I mentioned that I would be providing updates as we made our home more livable, so here is the next installment.

Today we had a single glazed window unit replaced with a glass brick window, effectively giving us a very colourful double glazed window.

The old window had an aluminium frame that conducted so much heat during the summer.  The glass rattled and there were gaps around the frame.  It was about as effective as a hole in the wall.

Before Glass Brick

Single Glazed leaky window

As you can see, not a very thermally efficient window.  The aluminium is an extremely efficient conductor of heat, as is the single pane of glass.  Not something that is welcomed when you are trying to keep the house cool on a 40°C day in summer!

Outside view single glazed window

Outside view single glazed window

There were massive gaps between the brick and the window frame.  You could slip a piece of thick cardboard through the gap.  The gap didn’t go all the way through, but it was a gap none the less.

The new window was installed by The Glass Block Shop, which is located in Bayswater, Melbourne.  Nice friendly bunch of people who were a dream to work with.  I have no affiliation with them, they are just who we chose.

Anyway, Kim designed a pattern and the installer turned up today.  Here are the types of glass bricks that Kim ordered.

Coloured glass bricks

Coloured glass bricks

They are lovely colours.  Mr Man the Installer took about four hours to remove the old window and fit the new one.  We were told that the old one would be recycled.

Empty window frame

Empty window frame

Maybe we should have fitted a door instead?  Just joking.  With the frame installed, it was time to fit the glass bricks.

Installed Glass Brick Window

Installed Glass Brick Window

The new frame is hardwood that we will oil for the finish.  The entire window looks magnificent!  From this angle you can’t really see the pattern; it looks much better when there is some light shining through it.

Outside Glass Brick Window

Outside Glass Brick Window

And the outside view.  No more gaps in the framework.  It now completely draught proof and airtight.

Close up Glass Brick window

Close up of our Glass Brick window

It looks absolutely stunning.  This will certainly go a long way to keep the heat out!

One window down, four more double glazed units to go, which will be installed across the north of the house.  Our chosen double glazing company will be measuring up next Wednesday, with installation estimated six weeks after that.  We have already paid the deposit and have the rest of the money to pay the remainder, but unfortunately that is all we can afford at the moment once these are installed in the lounge, my study, and our master bedroom.  We have to save up to double glaze the rest of the house.

The good news is that we have been told that we can fit secondary glazing on the three windows on the south side of the house, including the glass sliding door in Kim’s office that leads to the pool area.  This will reduce the cost for these windows by about half and they should be just as thermally effective. I better start writing some more eBooks to get a bit more money in the bank!

We are looking forward to being much more comfortable at the front of the house this summer!