Question 1

So why did I choose Insulation and why do I think it's important?

1) Sydney's climate is quite varied experiencing a wide range of temperatures along with high humidity. I feel that Insulation helps tackle these challenges.

• Insulation helps reduce heat transfer keeping the building cool in summer by preventing outside heat from entering the building. It also prevents heat from escaping the building during winters therefore keeping it warm.  
• Insulation by itself can help reduce the transfer of moisture through a building. However, using a vapor barrier along with the insulation would both protect the insulation from condensation risk and further control humidity levels in the building.

2) The Urban Heat Island Effect seemed to be a recurring topic while doing the climatic analysis. So after reading up on it I was able to find out that properly insulated houses would actually help in combating this phenomenon.

• By controlling the temperature inside the building, it reduces the need for mechanical heating/ cooling. This in turn reduces the production of waste heat from air conditioners which is one of the causes of the Urban Heat Island Effect.
• This also reduces energy consumption and in effect reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced. Therefore, temperature rise due to these pollutants can also be combated.

3)  Besides being relevant to Sydney's climate, good insulation provides certain perks and is also quite diverse

• When installed properly, it could reduce heating and cooling bills by up to half
• It also has soundproofing qualities
• Some insulation materials are made of recycled materials, making it eco-friendly along with a lower carbon footprint.
• Certain insulation materials can be installed as a DIY
• It is also possible to install certain types of insulation even after the building has been constructed

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Since I believe insulation is incredibly important for homes in Sydney, I should also be having an opinion on how they should be implemented in home today. These are a few simple steps that I think Architects, engineers and designers should be taking to improve insulation in homes.

1) RETROFIT HOUSES THAT LACK INSULATION

With so many benefits, it seems crucial that insulation should be properly installed in all homes.

However, while calculating the typical U value for our home, it was clear to see that there are houses in Australia that lack proper insulation. As a matter of fact, about a third of Australian homes are either not insulated or lack proper insulation. (1) 

The reason behind this may be because insulation wasn't a compulsory requirement for houses until the 1990's. Houses that were built before this time will likely lack insulation. 

Houses can easily be retrofitted to include insulation in their building fabric and proper insulation would pay itself off in a few years because of the energy savings that it would provide. An alternate method would be to place insulating cladding on the wall exterior.

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2) EXCEED MINIMUM R VALUE REQUIREMENTS

Houses constructed after 1990 definitely wouldn't lack insulation since it was included as a requirement in the Building Code of Australia at that time. But buildings shouldn't just meet the minimum requirements. 

A common trait of high performance housing seems to be the presence of super insulated roofs and walls. These would have an R value of about 40 sometimes even going up to 60. Comparing this with the minimum R value ceiling requirement of 4.1 in Sydney, it is clear to see that there is room for improvement. 

Pitt and Sherry, a consultancy firm that specializes in providing sustainable solutions, reported that on average most Australian homes require a 50% increase in ceiling insulation while walls need 35% more.  

3) DESIGN HOLISTICALLY

To make the best use of insulation, other passive design strategies would also have to be considered.
For example: A house can't be effectively insulated without consideration of the proper shading devices that would block the summer sun and prevent heat gain during that time. It might even cause an 'oven effect'.

There are other factors that would have to be considered as well. For example, if the carbon footprint of materials were considered, the designer would have to choose insulating materials like shredded jeans over polystyrene despite having a lower R value.

4) and finally, EXPERIMENT WITH ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Although architects, engineers and designers don't always get an opportunity to be innovative with their insulation, it is important to keep a look out for such chances. The Straw Bale building by Make Architects is a classic example of this.