Warning issued over household insulation labelling

Manufacturers Pink Batts and GreenStuf have been warned they may have breached the Fair Trading Act because their insulation failed to meet the quality level claimed on packaging.

Tasman Insulation New Zealand, manufacturer of Pink Batts, and Autex Industries New Zealand, manufacturer of GreenStuf, have been formally warned by the Commerce Commission after it found products tested did not meet the "R" value claimed on packaging.

An "R" value measures the level of insulation provided: the higher the "R" value of an insulation product, the greater its capacity to prevent heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer.

Commerce Commission director of fair trading Deborah Battell said both companies had moved immediately to correct the misrepresentations and to ensure future claims were accurate.

The commission tested two products from each company -- all four products tested failed to meet the standard of insulation required for the rating shown on their packaging.

The commission would not be taking any further action at this stage, as both companies had moved quickly to correct the problems, she said.

Tasman Insulation had discovered the problem and had moved to correct it before they became aware of the commission's investigation, Ms Battell said.

The message for the insulation and wider building industries was simple, she said.

"Whatever you say on the packaging must be true -- if you say your product meets a certain value or grade, it must meet that grade all the time, and you must be able to prove that it does.

"New Zealanders have a right to expect that the claims made on packaging are 100 per cent accurate."

The commission began its investigation after the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) raised concerns about results from a test by its Australian counterpart.

- NZPA