Think brick? Or think modern?

Myth:

"Brick insulates better than lighter weight materials, so it keeps your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter". Ad, p12, Green Magazine, Issue 19

Fact:

Bricks aren’t insulators; they store heat, not resist it.   That's because thermal mass stores and re-radiates heat while insulation stops heat flowing into or out of the building.

In fact, to compare the insulating ability of the products you need to look at their R-value, which measures resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value the higher the level of  insulating performance. Your home technical guide.

The R-value of brick? An uninsulated brick veneer wall has an R-value RO.46 and an uninsulated weatherboard has an R-value of 0.46.

The effect of bricks combined with insulation.

Brick veneer walls have the brick skin on the outside, which is not the ideal location for thermal mass. The bricks heat up in summer and radiate heat late into the evening, while in winter they stay cold and absorb heat from the house.

As a result you definitely need insulation to protect the occupants from external temperature extremes that are exacerbated by the external brick skin. Your home technical guide.

However, because lightweight walls have low thermal mass, they reap the benefit from insulation very efficiently. This is part of what makes them “suitable for any climate in Australia”.