In May 2020 the transition period for the introduction of a revised standard for insulation in AS / NZS 4859.1:2018 ended requiring all thermal insulation used in the Australian construction industry to be compliant to the new standard.
With the transition period to adopt this standard now well past, is the construction industry complying and requiring verification from manufacturers that the insulation they are installing is compliant with the new standard.
In 2019 the National Construction Code (NCC) introduced an updated version of the Australian Insulation Standard AS/NZS 4589.1. The standard outlines the criteria and technical provisions of thermal insulation materials for buildings. The new standard implemented changes to the way products are tested along with how thermal performance (R-value) is calculated and declared, affecting bulk, reflective foil and rigid foam insulations. To find out more information on AS/NZS 4859.1 and the impact these changes will have on the construction industry, read our article Updated insulation standard AS/NZS 4589.1:2018 comes into action on May 1st.
The introduction of this new method resulted in the modification of declared product R-values, as more stringent thermal testing lead to a decrease in product R-values across the entire insulation product offering. If insulation products are still not being tested to AS/NZS 4859.1:2018 then some ongoing construction projects may not be complying with current construction codes. This can lead to an influx of buildings being less energy efficient than expected and will have an impact upon the construction industry for years to come.
