Insulation and air tightness are two factors with a large impact on the energy efficiency of a house and the comfort of the people living inside. To function best, the insulation needs to be installed correctly and the building envelope not compromised.

Most installers of insulation have not had any training that emphasises the benefits of quality installation. Currently, there is insufficient information for tradespeople, outside of insulation installers, to understand their role in the insulation process. The quality of insulation installation and, consequently, its performance can also be adversely affected by interference and removal by other tradespeople. The building envelope is often compromised by tradespeople penetrating walls, floors and ceilings but not sealing the gaps. All trades would benefit from having a greater understanding of their role in maintaining the integrity of the building insulation.

To help address this problem, Master Builders Victoria collaborated with CodeSafe, ICANZ, AIVAA, AIRAH, AWCINSW, IA and NECA to create two short videos that highlight good practices in building envelope integrity by insulators and good practices required by third-party trades to ensure the integrity is maintained.

The video is available for viewing on YouTube and also for free download via a free app, making it simple for tradespeople to access vital information on site when needed. The target audience includes construction site and contract coordinators, trades people, structured apprenticeship programs, building product manufacturers, salespeople and installers.

Video 1: Insulation installation best practice – general, walls, ceilings, under floor
Video 2: Penetrations and envelope integrity – seal for AC, ventilation, electrical, plumbing, windows

How to access the application:

1. Visit the app store at www.appstore.com.
2. Search ‘CodeSafe/QIN’, the select and download and install the application.
3. Run the CodeSafe/QIN app and select ‘scan now’.
4. When prompted, scan the QR code below.

 For more information, contact Phil Alviano, Sustainability Advisor, at (03) 9411 4555.