We supply and install a wide variety of insulation products in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. We often get asked the question “what is the best insulation in South Africa”? There are many important factors to take into consideration when trying to determine the best insulation products. So let’s take a look at some of these factors. Make an educated decision when choosing your home insulation. Don’t forget choosing the right insulation installer is important too.
BEST INSULATION PRODUCTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
In South Africa, we have 3 main types of insulation products that are the most commonly used. Aerolite and Knauf are all fibreglass based products. Isotherm and Fabufill which are eco-friendly polyester products with no chemical additives or fibreglass. Cellulose fibre insulation which is a newspaper.
Fibreglass: Aerolite, and Knauf
Polyester: Fabufill and Isotherm
Newspaper: Cellulose Fibre
Read more on Ceiling Insulation
WHAT IS R-VALUE?
The insulation R-value is very important. The higher the insulation R-value, the better product will be able to restrict thermal heat from entering or exiting your home through the ceiling. But don’t be fooled, it is not only about the r-value when trying to determine the best insulation materials. R-value does play an important role but should not be the sole purpose of selecting a product.
BEST INSULATION MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS
All of the above insulating products have a very similar R-value, so now we need to start looking at the other factors that answer the question of what are the best insulation products. Let’s break it down so you can decide for yourself what product suits you best.
KNAUF EARTHWOOL WITH ECOSE TECHNOLOGY
Knauf is a brown earthwool insulation product that is manufactured in Germany. They have created a mineral wool product that has all the advantages of traditional fibreglass insulation products and enhanced it with ECOSE technology.
THINK PINK AEROLITE
As mentioned above, aerolite insulation is the most tried and tested product on the market around the world. High-quality SABS approved fibreglass. Additionally, it has excellent acoustic properties that help with noise levels and soundproofing. Aerolite has a good r-value which is slightly higher than polyester insulation and cellulose.
FABUFILL
Fabufill is polyester insulation made in South Africa and is SABS approved! It has all the benefits of Isotherm and is being quality control checked by the SABS to make sure the R-values and densities are correct on the rolls. It is also made from recycled plastic bottles and is good for the environment. Contains no chemicals.
ISOTHERM
Isotherm is a reasonably new product in comparison to Aerolite, Knauf and Cellulose fibre. It’s Not SABS approved. It is polyester eco-friendly insulation. It is made from recycled PET bottles which is good for the environment. Furthermore, it has no chemical additives to make it an acceptable insulating material. In fact, it is people-friendly insulation. It’s pleasant to the touch. You could actually sleep with it as a duvet on a cold night.
CELLULOSE FIBRE
Ok now to cellulose. Again the r-value is around about the same as Knauf, Aerolite and Isotherm. It is produced from recycled newspapers. If you take a closer look at it you will realize that recycled newspapers don’t have a fire retardant status. Therefore cellulose fibre insulation must be treated with chemicals. As a matter of fact, this is done to pass the fire testing stages.
These chemicals include:
- boric acid
- borax
- lime
- ammonium sulphate
- aluminium sulphate
- ammonium phosphate
- mono – and diammonium phosphate
- aluminium hydrate
- aluminium trihydrate
- zinc chloride
Source: Cellulose Insulation Problems
WHAT ARE THE BEST INSULATION MATERIALS CONCLUSION?
So hopefully we have answered that question for you “what is the best insulation”. You need to way up the pros and cons of the insulation products. Remember you have to live with the product in your roof. We do a wide range of insulation products in South Africa.