When Susan moved from Auckland to Dunedin four years ago, the shift in climate was immediate. Her new home, a 100 year old timber villa with three and a half metre ceilings and beautiful heritage features, was full of character but noticeably harder to heat through a southern winter.
“It is a stunning home, but the height of the ceilings and the size of the rooms made it difficult to keep warm. I started looking at what we could do to make it more comfortable.”
Over the next couple of years, Susan worked through a series of improvements. The bathrooms were renovated and insulated, double glazing was added to a few key rooms, and the old carpet was replaced with a thicker underlay that reduced noise and helped retain warmth. Each step improved comfort, but she still felt the home needed one final upgrade.
“I knew wall insulation could make a big difference, but we were never going to strip the linings off a heritage home. That is when Insulmax® became the obvious solution.”
After speaking with the Insulmax® team and confirming the walls could be insulated from the exterior, Susan decided to go ahead. The installation process was simple and completed quickly, with no disruption to the interior features she wanted to preserve.
Wanting to understand the change properly, Susan tracked temperatures both before and after installation using a small sensor.
“It was really interesting. The ambient temperature lifted by about two degrees. But the real difference was how long the warmth stayed in the house.” With the wall insulation in place, the home now feels warmer, more consistent, and easier to heat through winter.
“For anyone who is still running their heat pump for hours every night just to stay warm, I would absolutely recommend looking at wall insulation. It has made a huge difference for us.”
The biggest change was in the lounge where the family spends most evenings. Previously, the heat pump had to run the entire time they were in the room, often right up until bedtime, just to keep the space comfortable.
“Now we run the heat pump for about an hour, turn it off, and the room stays warm. That has made a massive difference. We are not burning through power for hours every night anymore.”
With the wall insulation in place, the home now feels warmer, more consistent, and easier to heat through winter.
“For anyone who is still running their heat pump for hours every night just to stay warm, I would absolutely recommend looking at wall insulation. It has made a huge difference for us.”