home insulation

[patty]

I am thinking of Insulating the house after years of procratinating about which insulation is best to use but it all comes down to the dollar

Our house is 2 storey brick veneer and faces west so we get the afternoon sun belting on the back door and windows and the house really heats up after Midday on a hot day aceess into the roof is no problem plenty od ceiling height

I am going for the Bradford R4.1 for the ceiling I have no access to the walls obviously! I have wondered about using insulation on the underside of the roof tiles as well as there is no sarking has anyone ever done this or do you think i would be wasting money and just do the ceiling i dont know if i insulate the ceiling then insulate on the underside of the tile will work as i thought this might trap hot air inside betweenthe two??

Any thoughts would be appreciated

[seriph1]

Ceiling insulation will do as far as the roof is concerned I reckon - but in my opinion, the issue you are facing with the westerly sun etc. will not be alleviated by the ceiling work.

Double glazing the windows will do far more as will sheltering them with awnings or a covered verandah.

[SilentButDeadly]

Definitely shade the western windows and doors - do that first!

Consider double glazing those western windows.

Insulate the ceiling as you plan.

Forget sisalation unless you plan on ditching the roof tiles.

I think there are insulation products that can be pumped into the wall between the brick and the drywall but it'd have to be non water absorbant.....no cellulose or wool!!

[pharmaboy2]

external shade will certainly help, as will ceiling insulation - however double glazed windows will not - they have essentially the same solar gain as normal glass - so for direct sunlight they dont help, in fcat may even make it worse - as the heat (IR )enters easily but then cant leave - unless you are air conditioed 24/7, then its worthwhile.

The only disadvanatge with bulk insuklation is that when it gets up to temp it stays there through the night, so dont expect a miracle - of course you could try silver sisalation on top of the batts to try and stop heat getting in from above?????

[Ashwood]

Insulating the ceiling will definitely help the upstair rooms regardless of facing - on hot days, the sun will heat up the ceiling cavity and your uninsulated ceiling plasterboard will act like a radiator, transferring the heat into the room.
But to test whether it will make a significant difference, on a hot day, stand on a ladder and place your hand on the bottom of the ceiling - if it feels hot, then insulating the ceiling will help greatly.

The others' comments on wall, etc will certainly help (some more than the ceiling) but I did do my ceiling, among other things, and the improvement has been very significant/apparent in my case.

[Bloss]

External shading by far the best as others have said. Ceiling batts most definitely good bang for buck too - at the highest R value you can afford.

See: http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/index.htm

for plenty of good info on what to do and in what order.