One important topic to talk about is the current regulations when it comes to building a home. Or maybe we should rather say the lack of regulations when it comes to energy efficiency.
It is important to note that all requirements in the building code are the bare minimum when it comes to insulation. Far from best practice.
And if a builder tells you, “R3.5 in the ceiling is all you need,” then you better look for another builder…
When building a home the minimum standard is just a minimum legal requirement the builder has to put into a home that doesn’t get them into jail. So in theory, if they forgot a bit of insulation here and there your house would not even comply with the minimum standard and would be illegal… Sadly, this often happens during construction.
Because the biggest problem is that there are no compliance checks in place.
And the energy rating is just a theoretical rating which will not determine the actual performance of a home.
Even if your house is 6, 8, 9, or even 10 stars on paper, unfortunately, you don’t have a guarantee how the actual house performs in the end.
Sadly, in Australia no one is really responsible for checking if the insulation or the draught-sealing have been done properly.
You might be lucky and have a good builder and a team that knows what they’re doing. But you can also end up with a house that’s 8-star on paper and only 3 or 4 in reality.
So, when building or renovating a home, make sure you get a specialist to install your insulation (not all insulation companies know what they are doing) Or get an independent inspector to sign off on the installation. Do not leave this crucial part to chance.