We love our backyard sheds.
They can be our places to do, make, fix, store, escape, workout, and meet up.
Sheds make incredible multi-purpose, flexible and relatively inexpensive spaces that extend the functionality of our homes and backyards.
We’re particularly inventive in how we use our sheds, reimagining them as art or music studios, astral observatories, yoga studios, IT workshops, outdoor kitchens, private retreats, neighbourhood hangouts, and much more. However, without insulation, simple steel or timber sheds expose you and your shed’s contents to temperature extremes, condensation, and fire risks.
A domestic shed is much more than just a place to store things. Kingspan AIR-CELL provides comfort in summer or winter, protecting your heat-sensitive equipment and valuables stored inside.
Why insulate your shed?
Why is it worth insulating your backyard shed?
Put simply, shed insulation saves you money and protects you and your property.
It also improves your productivity. A well-insulated shed is far more useful, keeping you cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
The main benefits of insulating your shed include:
- Comfort
- Thermal protection
- Energy savings
- Condensation management
- Fire safety
Nearly all sheds are made from uninsulated steel or timber, both of which rapidly transfer heat in or out of your shed, making it a winter freezer and a summer oven. Insulating your shed can transform it into an extension of your home or an area to work in.
Whether your shed is a storeroom, office, workshop, games room or studio, it may house expensive equipment. Very high or low temperatures can damage valuable items like electronics, tools, sporting equipment, and art supplies with high replacement costs.
The costs of attempting to adequately heat or cool an uninsulated steel or timber structure are high and increasing, and quality insulation will cut your costs long-term.
Another significant reason to insulate is to control moisture building inside your shed. Dampness can trigger the growth of mould and risk your health, equipment, and stored items. Moisture can build up in sheds when the roof and wall materials are colder than the air within your shed. When water vapour in the internal warmer air hits the colder external surfaces, it condenses into water droplets. Insulating your roof and walls slows down heat flows, helping regulate temperatures inside your shed and preventing the accumulation of moisture.
High-quality insulation not only protects against weather but also fire when using insulation with a good fire rating. If you live in a bushfire-prone area, you will need to use a product with a low Flammability Index, such as Kingspan AIR-CELL Insuliner. It’s also important to have the right fire extinguisher for your shed contents and to clear any potential fuel from the area around it.
What is the best insulation for a shed?
When choosing insulation for your shed, look for products offering leading thermal insulation properties, moisture resistance, fire resistance, and reflection of radiant heat away from the building.
You may also want insulation that’s very easy to install while you are constructing your shed or to retrofit to your existing shed.
Kingspan AIR-CELL insulation is an excellent option as it offers all of these properties and is a versatile range of fibre-free, flexible reflective insulation for roofs, walls, and floors. Kingspan AIR-CELL's reflective foil reflects up to 97% of radiant heat away from its surface. The products are comprised of a cross-linked, closed-cell insulation core sandwiched by reflective foil facings.
AIR-CELL products are very effective at slowing down the flow of heat, in or out. The reflective foil layer reflects radiant heat away from its surface to maintain the temperature of your shed. Kingspan Insulation is also water-resistant and unaffected by moisture, helping protect your shed and equipment from moisture damage. This Australian-made insulation performs well in Australian climates.
The AIR-CELL range includes AIR-CELL Insulbreak to provide a thermal break for metal framed walls, AIR-CELL Insuliner for walls and ceilings, the quick and easy to install AIR-CELL Insulshed, and AIR-CELL Insulwhite, a roof insulation that’s designed to give a white ceiling-like appearance.
Benefits of Kingspan AIR-CELL products:
- Thermal performance
- 2-in-1 Insulation and vapour barrier
- Fibre-free, non-allergenic, non-irritant
- Quick and easy to install
- Strong, tough, durable
- Water-resistant and unaffected by moisture
- Anti-bacterial and antifungal
- Rodent and insect-resistant
- Fire retardant
- Made in Australia
Where can I buy Kingspan AIR-CELL insulation?
Get in touch to find the nearest stockist.
When is the best time to insulate a shed?
The best time to insulate a shed is while it is being built. While insulation can be retrofitted to an existing shed, but it is way more time consuming and expensive to do so. During the construction stage, one can ensure that the insulation is effectively integrated with the rest of the structure.
You can retrofit an existing shed with Kingspan Insulation by screw-fixing it to the internal framing.
How much insulation do I need?
To prepare to insulate your shed, you need to work out the total area that needs to be insulated. To account for the overlapping of the AIR-CELL insulation material, multiply your area by 1.1. Alternatively, you can use reflective tape to seal each joint, in which case your initial estimate will be accurate.
Best practices for successful installation
Kingspan AIR-CELL comes in large rolls that may need to be cut to fit the specific dimensions of your shed roof and walls before installation. After that, it can be efficiently secured in place. Remember that reflective insulation performs best with a 20-40mm air gap. Allow for some slack during the installation process to accomplish this. The insulation will sag slightly, forming the necessary air gap. To secure the insulation, use self-drilling metal screws to attach it to the eaves. The end result is a clean finish, even around openings such as vents, light switches, and other items that can be cut out.
