Home Insulation
February 20th 2010 08:35
Home Insulation
The Australian Govt in its wisdom offered cash rebates for home owners to insulate their homes and thereby reduce their need to consume electricity for heating and cooling. They gave the rebate to the installing companies. A real mistake , Mr Garrett.
However the way they went about it was a godsend to shonky installers and such. There has been four deaths and ninety house fires as a direct result of incorrect insulation materials being installed.
How can this be? The Federal Minister , Mr Garrett,whose Dept is responsible for the environment, simply did not do any homework. Foil insulation material is great stuff when installed during the construction of the home, but is exceptionally dangerous to try to install it after the home is completed and occupied.
It is metal - metal is a very good conductor of electricity – in the ceiling of most homes are all the electricity wires distributing power to lights and other outlets throughout the home. Was there no one in that particular Govt Dept who considered that there may be problems when conductive material and electricity come together in an uncontrolled way? We, the taxpayers of Australia, pay these beurocrats wages; the least we can expect is that they do something to earn them.
The Minister is being castigated by the press and the Opposition for his apparent incompetence. All politicians are bloody incompetent. When it comes to details they must rely on advice given to them by their own staff, minders and minions. It is as obvious as the nose on anyone’s face that those minders and minions failed miserably in their duties; or did they give poor advice deliberately ? I don’t know, but I wonder, greed is a terrible master.
Sadly we have all been shown that foil insulation is a nightmare for households and installers alike when it is used after a home is built. Even so, it is very effective when installed correctly in the construction phase of building a home.
Other forms of insulation also have their problems when installation fails to allow for the possible interaction with electrical wiring already in the ceilings. For instance every light fitting needs a space around it to allow for heat dissipation and every switch needs the same space in case of a spark starting a fire when being used.
As for the poor installers up in the ceiling putting whatever form of insulation in, think of how hot it is up there. You can pretty well add 10 degrees to the outside air temperature, plus the fact that it is very awkward to move around up there without falling through a ceiling somewhere and as such it is stressful. That stress means a build up of body heat and could cause even more stress to the installers.
Having said all that, it is still a damn good thing to insulate every home possible. The savings in electricity costs may even mean that pensioners can afford to operate a small air-conditioner and be able to stay at home in comfort. Many go out to a supermarket or shopping mall on really hot days so the heat does not reduce them to zombies.
Please Mr Garrett, get your minions to do their homework properly before you re-introduce the Insulation Rebate Scheme again, whatever form you use next time.
I am not an expert but I do have a lifetime of working in the housing industry, sometimes installing insulation myself, to back up my opinions.
With regard to helping reduce your domestic carbon footprint - forget it - you don't have one. It's all a load of political misinformation.
The Australian Govt in its wisdom offered cash rebates for home owners to insulate their homes and thereby reduce their need to consume electricity for heating and cooling. They gave the rebate to the installing companies. A real mistake , Mr Garrett.
However the way they went about it was a godsend to shonky installers and such. There has been four deaths and ninety house fires as a direct result of incorrect insulation materials being installed.
How can this be? The Federal Minister , Mr Garrett,whose Dept is responsible for the environment, simply did not do any homework. Foil insulation material is great stuff when installed during the construction of the home, but is exceptionally dangerous to try to install it after the home is completed and occupied.
The Minister is being castigated by the press and the Opposition for his apparent incompetence. All politicians are bloody incompetent. When it comes to details they must rely on advice given to them by their own staff, minders and minions. It is as obvious as the nose on anyone’s face that those minders and minions failed miserably in their duties; or did they give poor advice deliberately ? I don’t know, but I wonder, greed is a terrible master.
Sadly we have all been shown that foil insulation is a nightmare for households and installers alike when it is used after a home is built. Even so, it is very effective when installed correctly in the construction phase of building a home.
As for the poor installers up in the ceiling putting whatever form of insulation in, think of how hot it is up there. You can pretty well add 10 degrees to the outside air temperature, plus the fact that it is very awkward to move around up there without falling through a ceiling somewhere and as such it is stressful. That stress means a build up of body heat and could cause even more stress to the installers.
Having said all that, it is still a damn good thing to insulate every home possible. The savings in electricity costs may even mean that pensioners can afford to operate a small air-conditioner and be able to stay at home in comfort. Many go out to a supermarket or shopping mall on really hot days so the heat does not reduce them to zombies.
Please Mr Garrett, get your minions to do their homework properly before you re-introduce the Insulation Rebate Scheme again, whatever form you use next time.
I am not an expert but I do have a lifetime of working in the housing industry, sometimes installing insulation myself, to back up my opinions.
With regard to helping reduce your domestic carbon footprint - forget it - you don't have one. It's all a load of political misinformation.
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