Insulation and smoke alarms regulations

Under the proposals, rental properties require a working smoke alarm in the hallway within three metres of every bedroom, and on every level in multi-level homes.

This stops short of Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s recommended practice of placing a smoke alarm in every bedroom, hallway and living area, on every level in the house. We suggest an alarm be fitted in every bedroom and hallway at a minimum.

The proposed regulations also require the use of long-life (10 year) photoelectric alarms. We support this requirement, as our smoke alarm testing shows ionisation alarms are hopeless at detecting smouldering fires – a potentially fatal failing.

To find out which smoke alarms we recommend, see the full results of our smoke alarms test.

By July 2019, all rentals will be required to have underfloor and ceiling insulation, as long as it can be practically installed.

From July this year, the bill also requires:

• all new tenancy agreements to include a statement on the extent and safety of insulation
• any repair or installation of insulation in a rental to meet the required standard
• all social houses where a tenant pays an Income Related Rent to have underfloor and ceiling insulation where it can be practically installed.

While this is a positive step, we’re concerned these regulations don’t go far enough and potentially leave a significant number of rentals with inadequate insulation.

A major concern with the proposed regulations is they permit untrained installers to install foil insulation underfloor. Foil conducts electricity, so there’s a risk of electrocution when fitting it in floor spaces near exposed electrical wiring. It’s also less effective and reliable than bulk insulation underfloor, as its performance depends on the quality of its installation, which can be difficult for amateurs to get right. To make matters worse, its performance can severely degrade over time as the foil becomes ripped, which isn’t an issue with bulk products.

The regulations exempt homes where “it would be very costly and disruptive to insulate”. For example, flat-roofed houses where retrofitting insulation would require the removal of cladding or skillion-roofed houses lacking an adequate roof cavity. As a trade-off, we think landlords of exempt properties should be required to compensate by installing a fixed, efficient form of heating, like a heat pump or woodburner.

We recommend installing bulk underfloor insulation that’s designed to be fitted under suspended floors, and with an R-value of at least 1.4. It’s essential the insulation is the right width to fit between floor joists, and installed flush against the underside of the floor.

In ceilings, we recommend bulk insulation, which can be either blankets or segments. Be cautious with loose-fill insulation blown into the ceiling, as its performance can degrade as it settles or bunches up over time.

• EECA Energywise - Insulation
  www.energywise.govt.nz/at-home/insulation
  EECA Energywise information about insulation, and details about getting funding for insulation through the Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes programme.