Free Ceiling Insulation for Australians

I don’t know how I missed this, but the Australian Government is offering $1600 to all house owner-occupiers to have ceiling insulation installed. They estimate that it will save up to $200 per house in energy bills, and increase the energy rating of all Australian homes to a minimum of two-stars.

In addition to offering the $1600 to owner-occupiers the government is also offering a $1000 rebates to landlords to encourage them to install ceiling insulation in their rental properties.

Currently about 40% of homes in Australia and New Zealand are not insulated, with Queensland having the lowest percentage of insulation of any state in Australia.

Our house currently has a spray on reflective insulation on the roof, which we also had done to our first house which you can see here, spray on reflective roof insulation. This type of insulation works by reflecting the suns heat, but there is no mass of insulation (like your classic pink bats, or fibreglass insulation) in the ceiling, so the $1600 could be used to insulate the area over the core four upstairs room in the house, although it would definitely cost a lot less than that to do.

You can read more about the free ceiling insulation project from the Australia Government here.

7 Replies to “Free Ceiling Insulation for Australians”

  1. Fred

    Wow! So is this a credit of the percentage of the job or just a straight-out gift? That’s pretty awesome for you if its the latter.

    We’re going to spray in additional insulation in our attic this summer, and likely install an attic fan. Not sure what your climate is down there but that combination seems to do wonders here in the states. In our area, Summer days can get up into the high 90s F (about 37 C) – this makes our attic get up to 130-150 F….

    I’ve read that insulation and an attic fan can reduce this to around 110 F, which greatly improves the feel in the house.

  2. Bill Hutchison Post author

    They pay up to $1600 on the installation of the insulation. The catch is that you have to use a registered business to do the installation, it is not valid for a DIY job.

    In July they are reviewing the plan, so maybe they will include a DIY option then for installation. I can understand why they want it done by a certified installer as it would help them to guarantee the quality of job and the increase in energy rating.

    The government site for it is here: http://www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency/insulation-homeowner.html

    Our roof surface spray insulation and a whirly bird made a huge difference in the heat in our attic. On our first house it made the difference between the old air conditioner being effective or not, and on this house it helped to cut down on our electricity bill in the summer.

    The insulating paint made the difference between the roof being too hot to touch on a hot day, to being the same temperature as the ambient air after the paint was installed. It made a huge difference.

  3. Lisa

    I have had many Insulation quotes, some are Pink Batts others wool Batts however I a looking very serious at Eco-Cell from Coastal Home Insulation (http://coastalhomeinsulation.com.au), I am not too keen on Fibre Glass Batts, i may as well spend abit more and get the best there is since there is a $1600 insulation Government Rebate.

    Cheers,
    Lisa

  4. Bill Hutchison Post author

    Thanks Paige for that extra information about the insulation rebate in Australia. Good to see we can do it on-line now, that certainly makes it easier and more convenient.

  5. Pingback: How Safe is the Foil Insulation in your Roof? | Renovate Australia

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