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thbol A few years back the Green Curmudgeon at Green Building Advisor,Carl Seville, suggested that batt insulation should be banned because the installations were consistently awful.He noted"We get what we pay for, and when we only pay bottom dollar for fiberglass batts,we get the performance we deserve." It turns out that this isn't just a North American problem.Matthew Cutler-Welsh of New Zealand website Home Style Green points to an audit of 58 installations of insulation by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority; Not a single installation was free of defects. The installation faults found include:damaged insulation,folds,tucks,gaps or insulation overlap, and areas not insulated where they should have been.Insulation has been compressed,incorrectly fixed or supported, incorrectly fitted around top plates,downlights,auxiliary equipment,or extractor fans.Insulation has also been incorrectly fitted around electrical wiring and plumbing systems. Com,ressed , installer The Auditors looked for whether any of the insulation material installed was compressed,as a result of the installer. It was found that 45%of ceiling installations,33%of underfloor installations.and 87%of ` ? *: y wall installations bad compressed _.�, insulation,due to the installer. Of 4 a those dekcts,64%of the ceding wi� :.�..-. defects and56%of the walldctcets - eat 7- mi nor. }rµ... EECA,Public Domain They are not shy about placing blame either,spreading it among installers,electricians,and plumbers.However sometimes the trades don't really have a choice,thanks to bad design. The second contributory factor to some of these faults comes down to design making proper installation of insulation difficult or impossible in some places.This can refer to construction design, or design of plumbing,electrical,lighting,heating,or ventilation systems....It is the designer who in the first instance will have an impact on whether the insulation can be correctly installed.When L