Description

The BRANZ House insulation guide is a practical tool that helps you choose the right insulation levels for floors, walls and roofs in New Zealand homes.

It shows how different construction options and insulation products work together to affect a home’s thermal performance (R‑value). The guide supports compliance with the New Zealand Building Code energy efficiency requirements (H1), but it goes beyond minimum standards by helping create homes that are:

• Warmer and more comfortable
• Drier and healthier
• More energy‑efficient and cost‑effective to run.

The guide includes downloadable tables and guidance material that reflect the latest insulation calculation methods used in Building Code compliance.

Scope

The House Insulation Guide has been developed by BRANZ to support better building performance across New Zealand housing.

The current 6th edition has been fully updated to align with:

• Building Code Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 (5th edition)
• Verification Method H1/VM1 (5th edition, Amendment 1).

It applies to:

• Stand‑alone houses
• Medium‑density housing
• Apartments and other residential buildings
• Non‑residential buildings up to 300 m².

Older editions of the guide should not be used for current projects, as calculation methods have changed.

The latest version ensures consistency with today’s compliance pathways and reflects improved understanding of how insulation systems perform in real buildings.