Mandatory Insulation for ACT Rental Properties2024-07-10T04:59:08+00:00

Mandatory Insulation for ACT Rental Properties

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and Insulation

Mandatory Insulation for ACT Rental Properties

Many renters in the ACT are living in poor quality housing that is expensive to heat or cool and doesn’t meet our community’s expectation around having a suitable home to help maintain health, comfort, security, and happiness.

The minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes will help improve energy performance, increase thermal comfort, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to climate change resilience.

Alexander Watson Help Landlords Meet Obligations

Energy efficiency standards for rental homes requires all landlords to have their insulation compliant within 9 months of signing a new lease using certified installers.

Alexander Watson understand this is putting a lot of pressure on landlords and we are here to offer landlords and pain free solution that removes the hassle and confusion to quickly and cost effectively bring their properties to the new standards.

  • Assess your current insulation rating
  • Provide cost effective solution options to meet the minimum standard

  • Quickly and efficiently upgrade insulation
  • Certified and fully insured installers
  • In house electricians to handle ESIR requirements
  • In house scaffolding and roof safety installers to comply with WHS legislation
  • Minimum disturbance to tenants
  • Provide all relevant documentation and evidence pack on completion to comply with the landlord’s requirements under the regulation

  • Australia’s first and largest employer of certified insulation installers

Alexander Watson Insulation specialists can simplify the process for Canberra landlords and property managers in achieving compliance with energy efficiency standards for rental properties.

Mandatory Insulation for ACT Checklist

Inspection of Insulation:

  • Check the level of insulation in your rental property before advertising it for rent or entering into a new lease.
  • Methods include checking the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) or hiring a trained building assessor. A certified insulation installer can also perform this check.
  • For more information, visit justice.act.gov.au/renting-and-occupancy-laws

Exemption Eligibility:

  • Determine if your property qualifies for an exemption from the minimum energy efficiency standard.
  • Permanent and temporary exemptions are available, and property owners must maintain supporting documentation.
  • Property managers are exempt from the application process but should keep evidence for tenant requests.
  • For more information, visit justice.act.gov.au/renting-and-occupancy-laws.

Disclosure in Rental Ads and Leases:

  • Clearly indicate in rental advertisements and new lease agreements whether your property meets the minimum energy efficiency standard or holds an exemption.
  • Property owners must disclose compliance from April 2023, and tenants can request evidence such as EER or a statutory declaration.

Ceiling Insulation Upgrade Timeline

  • Property owners must upgrade non-compliant ceiling insulation within nine months of signing a new lease, starting from April 2023.
  • Valid exemptions apply to this timeline.

Certified Insulation Installers:

  • If an upgrade is necessary, only obtain quotes from firms with certified insulation installers such as Alexander Watson.
  • Ensure upgrades are performed by certified insulation installers to guarantee safety for property owners and tenants.

Electrical Safety Check:

  • If upgrading insulation, organize an electrical safety check, or request your insulation provider to arrange one.
  • This step ensures the safety of property owners and tenants during insulation upgrades.

Documentation Maintenance:

  • Keep a record of your property’s ceiling insulation, especially after completing upgrades.
  • Documentation of compliance should be maintained, and tenants have the right to request evidence of compliance.

Why Choose Alexander Watson – Canberra’s Insulation Specialists?

  • Leading Insulation Specialist in the ACT

  • Established since 2011 with a reputation for excellence

  • Certified People – We only use EEC Certified Installers

  • Certified Products – Ensuring the best materials for the job

  • Protect Your Investment – Lifetime Warranty on insulation

  • Professional & Reliable Team delivering high-quality service

Government Assistance & Rebates

Landlords may be eligible for a 50% rebate (up to $2,500) on insulation installation costs when upgrading to R5.0 or higher in an existing home.

testimonials

Our Clients Love us

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Peter Monus profile picture
Peter Monus
11:11 20 Jan 26
We hired the team at Alexander Watson to install ceiling insulation, wall insulation, ducted AC and an electrical switchboard upgrade in our 1960s house with some unique challenges. The process of working with the initial inspection and booking in the various stages of the install was really easy and the team was great at communicating different issues and decisions that needed to be made along the way.

We could feel the difference in temperature the day after the ceiling insulation went in and it does such a good job keeping the house cooler on hot days. We look forward to the house being much easier to keep warm when winter rolls around too. The ducted AC unit that was recommended to us works really well, is very quiet and the controller is easy to use or can be controlled with an app.

Would definitely recommend Alexander Watson, they know their stuff.
Deborah Reynolds profile picture
Deborah Reynolds
12:20 29 Dec 25
A few months ago, I asked Alexander Watson to insulate my home - ceiling, wall and underfloor. They were meticulous, and included everything that was needed in the quote - the probability that I needed a new switchboard to comply with updated regulations, making sure the wiring was compatible with insulation - everything. When some work wasn’t needed, they reduced the amount I had to pay to match the work that was actually done. They booked everything so the work was done as quickly as possible. They kept me informed throughout the installation so I knew exactly when they were coming and what was being done. They took before and after photos of every step, to ensure they were keeping to their standards. I was impressed by their safety protocols. I was also impressed that when they came to inspect the work once it was complete, they realised that something hadn’t been done, and quickly ensured that was done too. We were amazed at how much warmer the house was, even though it was after the end of winter, and we hadn’t expected to notice any difference. We’re even more impressed now it’s summer and we’ve had heat waves. I really didn’t expect so much difference since the house is an older brick veneer house, and we haven’t fixed any ventilation issues.
brenda sharp profile picture
brenda sharp
02:57 15 Dec 25
Very pleased with Alexander Watson for my ceiling insulation. At all stages of the process staff were prompt, courteous and communicated well. Job was completed as agreed I would recommend them
domdomdom128 profile picture
domdomdom128
23:46 26 Nov 25
We had ceiling, walls and underfloor retrofitted after vacuuming out decades old debris.
Insulation is excellent but the service and staff are what you pay for, they're all super friendly and helpful.
Insulation went smoothly over 2 days, you get what you pay for, premium service and super nice staff.
4 months post install we had an issue with a leak from the condensation pipe of our aircon in the roof, hadn't turned it on since insulation was installed so wasn't aware.
Wally from AWI came out 2 days later and fixed it on the spot.
Always a warm reception when calling, after instal service is amazing. Can't recommend enough.
Helena Norback profile picture
Helena Norback
03:28 24 Nov 25
Had recent work done to install insulation/electrical and air con replacement, very happy with the work. When they came round to quote it was highly informative and answered every query I had. Punctual and professional every step of the way and I swear my dog would've gone home with every one of them if I hadn't held her back. Highly recommend.
Mike Hughes profile picture
Mike Hughes
06:11 18 Nov 25
Rarely do you get lucky enough to have work done on your home in such a effortless manner with a superb final product done by polite, professional and knowledgeable trades folk that turn up when they said they would and do the job in the way they said they would. To do all the work at our place in Gowrie we had people putting up scaffold, people doing the roof insulation, people doing the electrical work, people putting sealer on the bricks, people under the house spraying insulation, at one point we think we had 12 trades folk here. They cleaned up after themselves when finished. Best of all the product has already proved its worth. I could not speak higher of the Alexander Watson team, all of them the product they sell and the advice they give. The photos show under the floor and the sealer on the bricks. I’m no longer allowed up a ladder so I can’t show the ceiling work.
Tamara Cutcliffe profile picture
Tamara Cutcliffe
23:43 04 Sep 25
Having earthwool insulation installed exceeded my expectations. The multidisciplinary team were fantastic. The house is warmer and no doubt will be cooler in summer. Thoroughly recommended.
Jareth Maros profile picture
Jareth Maros
03:07 17 Jun 25
Contracted Alexander Watson to remove old insulation batts and remove loose fill from the ceiling.
To be honest, the experience was not a great one.
First point to raise is the constant email replies from different admin stuff. After correspondence with one team member, the following reply would be from a different team member. I found this frustrating. And then that new team member has not read the previous email (this would also be in a working day time frame).
Now the point to raise is of quality of work, they had only cleaned approx 80% of the ceiling, they spent 2 days (a Thursday and Friday). I know this because I cleaned the remaining missed areas including removing old batts on my Saturday so I could lay the insulation properly myself. If I hadn’t of laid the insulation myself and Alexander Watson returned to re-install, then I feel the missed areas would still remain and they would just install over the top. Additionally approx 6 tiles were broken, and they were only siliconed back together.
Now after email correspondence, and I assume with the manager, being told as a customer I should of raised my concerns on the Saturday so this company can return to do a quality check, I feel this should of been done at the workers level before they would of left the job site, then possibly another senior team member should of visited the job site post completion to confirm the work is done. This process has failed from the lowest part of the team. I’ll attach photos to this review.
Now we have both come to an agreement to a reduction in the invoiced amount.

Insulation FAQ’s

Why do I need to remove the insulation from my ceiling?2024-02-16T13:54:54+00:00

Removing insulation from a ceiling might be necessary for many reasons, such as renovations, pest issues, installing new insulation, electrical safety and health. For more information see our insulation removal page here.

What is the purpose of crosshatching/adding another layer of insulation?2024-04-17T05:11:45+00:00

Cross-hatching two layers of insulation results in a substantial improvement in insulation efficiency. For more information about cross-hatching, download our Retrofit Guide here.

How do I choose ceiling insulation?2025-08-06T04:54:41+00:00

It all depends on the type of roof and the ceiling cavity. Usually batts are the best option, however in some cases a loose insulation or other specialised product might be a more effective solution.

How big are the drill holes and how are they filled in?2024-05-13T03:00:42+00:00

When the installers are doing wall insulation they will drill small holes under the windows to ensure all parts of the wall is being insulated. The drill holes are 16mm in diameter and are drilled in between the bricks. To fill them in we use mortar. If your mortar is not a standard grey, our team will aim to get the colour as close as possible to leave a seamless finish.

Can electrical work be done after wall insulation?2024-05-13T01:53:26+00:00

Installing cavity wall insulation can make electrical work more challenging. We recommend completing any wiring or electrical work before installing cavity wall insulation. Insulation doesn’t block access entirely, electricians can add wiring in at a later stage using a fibreglass straw rod, though it’s more complex than in an empty cavity. However, any insulation related electrical compliance  work will need to be completed before the wall insulation is installed.

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