Insulation retrofit
An insulation quote is mostly area, access and the product the installer can actually fit in the space you have. A clear ceiling with a manhole is a different job from a low skillion roof, a wall that has to be pumped, or a floor you can only reach by crawling.
The rates below are published installed prices, not a quote for your house. Australian figures are per square metre. The New Zealand figure is an average whole-job retrofit from the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme. Multiply a rate by your own area only as a reading aid, then ask a local installer to measure.
Published figures
Ceiling R4.0, previously uninsulated
| Place | Installed rate |
|---|---|
| NSW | $20.00 |
| VIC | $15.83 |
| QLD | $17.50 |
| SA | $16.51 |
| WA | $14.46 |
| TAS | $28.00 |
| NT | $14.46 Assumed |
| ACT | $25.63 |
- Northern Territory costs were not readily available. The report assumes they are similar to Western Australia.
Source: Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, The Value of Insulating Existing Homes, Final Report, August 2024 (opens in a new tab). Source checked Published August 2024. Checked 22 October 2026.
Ceiling R5.0, previously uninsulated
| Place | Installed rate |
|---|---|
| NSW | $28.46 |
| VIC | $27.80 |
| QLD | $28.00 |
| SA | $28.31 |
| WA | $22.76 |
| TAS | $39.97 |
| NT | $22.76 Assumed |
| ACT | $38.14 |
- Northern Territory costs were not readily available. The report assumes they are similar to Western Australia.
Source: Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, The Value of Insulating Existing Homes, Final Report, August 2024 (opens in a new tab). Source checked Published August 2024. Checked 22 October 2026.
Ceiling top-up R3.0 over existing R1.0
| Place | Installed rate |
|---|---|
| NSW | $18.00 |
| VIC | $13.55 |
| QLD | $15.50 |
| SA | $14.98 |
| WA | $13.48 |
| TAS | $26.00 Assumed |
| NT | $13.48 Assumed |
| ACT | $25.00 |
- The report says Tasmania top-up costs were not readily available and were assumed to be similar to Victoria. Table 11 prints 26.00 for Tasmania on this row and 13.55 for Victoria. The report does not explain the difference. The figure shown is the number printed for Tasmania.
- Northern Territory costs were not readily available. The report assumes they are similar to Western Australia.
Source: Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, The Value of Insulating Existing Homes, Final Report, August 2024 (opens in a new tab). Source checked Published August 2024. Checked 22 October 2026.
Ceiling top-up R4.0 over existing R1.0
| Place | Installed rate |
|---|---|
| NSW | $20.00 |
| VIC | $17.78 |
| QLD | $17.50 |
| SA | $18.01 |
| WA | $16.51 |
| TAS | $28.00 Assumed |
| NT | $16.51 Assumed |
| ACT | $28.03 |
- The report says Tasmania top-up costs were not readily available and were assumed to be similar to Victoria. Table 11 prints 28.00 for Tasmania on this row and 17.78 for Victoria. The report does not explain the difference. The figure shown is the number printed for Tasmania.
- Northern Territory costs were not readily available. The report assumes they are similar to Western Australia.
Source: Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, The Value of Insulating Existing Homes, Final Report, August 2024 (opens in a new tab). Source checked Published August 2024. Checked 22 October 2026.
Wall R1.0, blown-in retrofit
| Place | Installed rate |
|---|---|
| NSW | $43.63 Assumed |
| VIC | $43.63 |
| QLD | $43.63 Assumed |
| SA | $43.63 Assumed |
| WA | $43.63 Assumed |
| TAS | $43.63 Assumed |
| NT | $43.63 Assumed |
| ACT | $43.63 Assumed |
- Wall costs were surveyed in Victoria. The report assumes the same rate in other jurisdictions.
Source: Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, The Value of Insulating Existing Homes, Final Report, August 2024 (opens in a new tab). Source checked Published August 2024. Checked 22 October 2026.
Wall R2.5, blown-in retrofit
| Place | Installed rate |
|---|---|
| NSW | $51.81 Assumed |
| VIC | $51.81 |
| QLD | $51.81 Assumed |
| SA | $51.81 Assumed |
| WA | $51.81 Assumed |
| TAS | $51.81 Assumed |
| NT | $51.81 Assumed |
| ACT | $51.81 Assumed |
- Wall costs were surveyed in Victoria. The report assumes the same rate in other jurisdictions.
Source: Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, The Value of Insulating Existing Homes, Final Report, August 2024 (opens in a new tab). Source checked Published August 2024. Checked 22 October 2026.
Suspended timber floor R2.0
| Place | Installed rate |
|---|---|
| NSW | $31.00 |
| VIC | $19.22 |
| QLD | $21.40 |
| SA | $28.40 |
| WA | $29.15 |
| TAS | $29.00 |
| NT | $29.15 Assumed |
| ACT | $33.00 |
- Northern Territory costs were not readily available. The report assumes they are similar to Western Australia.
Source: Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, The Value of Insulating Existing Homes, Final Report, August 2024 (opens in a new tab). Source checked Published August 2024. Checked 22 October 2026.
Insulation retrofit, average job
About $4,300 NZD
EECA says that, on average, an insulation retrofit costs about this much before the household's grant is applied. It is a programme average, not a quote.
Source: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (New Zealand), Warmer Kiwi Homes (opens in a new tab). Source checked Source has no publication date; checked 22 October 2026
After a grant
These amounts are what a household may pay once a grant is applied. They are not the price of the job.
Household share after a 50% Warmer Kiwi Homes insulation grant
About $2,150 NZD
What EECA says an eligible household would pay after a 50% grant on the average insulation retrofit. This is a contribution after funding, not the price of the job.
Source: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (New Zealand), Warmer Kiwi Homes (opens in a new tab). Source checked Source has no publication date; checked 22 October 2026
Household share after an 80–90% Warmer Kiwi Homes insulation grant
$280–$800 NZD
EECA's range for what an eligible household might pay after an 80–90% grant. It depends on house size and whether the work is ceiling, underfloor, or both. It is not the installer's price.
Source: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (New Zealand), Warmer Kiwi Homes (opens in a new tab). Source checked Source has no publication date; checked 22 October 2026
What changes the price
- Area and what's already there. A bare ceiling is priced differently from a top-up over old insulation. The ICANZ table separates those jobs. Tell the installer whether the ceiling, walls and floor are bare, thin, wet or disturbed.
- Access. A low roof space, no manhole, a tight underfloor, or downlights that insulation cannot cover will add labour. Some of that work is access and electrical, not the insulation itself.
- Product and R-value. Thicker ceiling products cost more per square metre in the published table. Wall retrofit in the same table is blown-in fill, which the report describes as a boutique job with a premium.
- State and the assumptions in the table. Where the report did not have a local survey, it copied another state's rate. Those cells are marked. A marked cell is not a quote from a business in that state.
- Grants. In New Zealand, Warmer Kiwi Homes can pay part of an eligible insulation retrofit. The household amounts on this page are what's left after that grant. They are not the installer's price. Eligibility, house age and existing insulation all matter.
Questions to ask
- Will you measure the ceiling, wall and floor areas, or are you pricing off a plan?
- Is this a new layer or a top-up, and what is already in the roof or under the floor?
- How will you deal with downlights, a low roof space, or no access hatch?
- Which product and which R-value are in the price, and is installation included?
- Are any electrical or access repairs excluded?
- If a grant is mentioned, what do I pay the installer, and what has to be true for the grant?
Common questions
Can I turn the per-square-metre rate into a price for my house?
Only as a rough reading of the published rate. The installer still has to measure access, existing insulation and anything in the way. Those are not in a flat rate.
Why are some state cells marked as assumed?
The ICANZ report says those cells were not surveyed. Northern Territory rates were assumed to match Western Australia, and wall rates outside Victoria were assumed to match Victoria. For Tasmania, the report says top-up costs were not readily available and were assumed to be similar to Victoria, but Table 11 prints 26.00 and 28.00 for Tasmania and 13.55 and 17.78 for Victoria. The report does not explain the difference, so the table shows the printed Tasmania figures.