The names that didn’t make it
Australian insulation companies went from about 200 to 8,300 in the grant years, then most of the small ones disappeared.
Not long ago the Yellow Pages were full of them, insulation companies in every city, a good number of them Australian cellulose makers. Today most of those names are gone. Not because the product failed, but because of one government grant.
I’m Peter Johnson. I’ve been in this trade since 1986 and I watched a lot of good operators disappear. Below is what I could actually verify on the public record, the makers whose ABNs are now cancelled, alongside the ones who came through. If you searched an old company or an old number and landed here, the last section is for you.
Comfort Zone insulation.team
Family-owned insulation manufacturer, making comfy homes since 1986
Still here. Still making it.
cellulose, in Tiaro, since 1986
Real reviews, real jobs
What our customers say
Genuine Google & hipages reviews from Comfort Zone customers across SE Queensland.
- A
Angela M.
SE Queensland
“The fact that I can't even tell it's 6 degrees outside when I wake up in the morning speaks for itself. Have wasted so much money attempting to heat and cool an uninsulated home. Worth every $.”
- Phipages
P Peter
Alstonvale, 2024
“Connected with Comfort Zone Insulation and would recommend them”
- J
Jessa B.
Brisbane
“It dropped about 4 degrees straight away, and we added another 3 with the second job. I appreciate Peter's honesty, and the team showed pictures before and after.”
- Nhipages
Nola M
Birtinya, 2024
“They were courteous and competent.”
- I
Iain V-B.
Brisbane
“Quick and polite service. Great follow-up advice and photos sent for our records. Above and beyond what we expected. Would highly recommend.”
- Jhipages
Jennifer's E
Upper Caboolture, 2024
“Excellent customer service. Highly recommended. Has a profound knowledge of insulation products and has the best interest of his customer.”
- G
Gerry S
Fitzgibbon, 2023
“I used Comfort Zone and they have a done an excellent job.”
- Jhipages
Jennifer
Upper Caboolture, 2024
“Excellent customer service. Highly recommend. Has a profound knowledge of insulation products and has the customer best interest.”
- J
Jung K
Riverhills, 2023
“An experienced family operation. Highly recommend. Thank you for the great job!”
- Dhipages
Diane A
Ormeau, 2024
“Peter and crew did a great job I would definitely recommend them”
- D
David H
Sunshine Coast, 2021
“Completed the job as quoted and to a high standard. Great personal service. Would highly recommend Comfort Zone for ceiling installation work.”
- Thipages
Timea
Highland Park, 2023
“I was extremely satisfied with the service they provided. They gave a very thourough explanation of the materials used, the way the work will be carried out and the price I had to pay was the exact amount quoted, no hidden costs included. They arrived on time, well prepared and workwas carried out exactly how they said it would be, they were super efficient, well prepared and were kind enough to even clean up after themselves. The services they provided was second to none! I don't hesitate to recommend them for any insulation job!”
- B
Benjamin H
Carseldine, 2019
“Very good explanation about their works. Advice of existing problems with the roof. Clean work. Very professional.”
- Mhipages
Mark
Pottsville, 2017
“Michelle, we are done - Peter from comfort zone insulation was very helpful. very honest with his recommendations - in fact he told me that the product my daughter had if installed correctly was superb. Thanks Peter you are a champion and i would recommend you to any person that was wanting professional advice and old school service.”
- I
Ian G
Burnside, 2019
“Good information, communication and professionalism.”
- Jhipages
Jessica
Pottsville, 2016
“This business offers a fantastic product that other businesses did not. Pump in ceiling insulation. Knowledge of the industry second to none.”
- D
Danny D
Boondall, 2018
“He explained everything he was going to do and the different types of insulation they used. He talked through the different options but made a recommendation for the one most people use, which is the one I chose. He was very understanding towards what I needed and not about himself.”
- Jhipages
Jack
Pottsville, 2023
“Excellent communication and informative. Professional.”
- G
Graham R
Riverhills, 2018
“Comfort Zone. Turned up ahead of time, completed in about 2 hours, cleaned up. All good. Very motivated installation team.”
- Thipages
Tony P
Redland Bay, 2023
“Very knowledgeable about insulation”
- A
Alex B
West Ipswich, 2018
“Fast, friendly, efficient.”
- Shipages
Steve
Redland Bay, 2017
“Excellent job and reasonable price.”
- L
Luke D
Mcdowall, 2017
“Peter did a good job. It was a quick and clean service. I'm happy to recommend!”
- Bhipages
Bruce H
Kuluin, 2023
“Prompt and efficient quoting.”
- B
Brendon
Brays Creek, 2016
“Peter supplied and installed roof insulation for me. He was very informative and provided good advice.”
- Ghipages
Gerry S
Fitzgibbon, 2023
“I used Comfort Zone and they have a done an excellent job.”
- T
Trevor G
Brookside Centre, 2016
“Excellent tradesmen from Comfort Zone Insulation. They were punctual and cleaned up after. Highly recommended.”
- Thipages
Tamara
Underwood, 2023
“Peter is honest, hard-working and came on time. Knew excally what he was talking about and answered my questions. Would 100% recommend”
- J
John G
Beaudesert, 2019
“Peter is an honest person who provided me with the information I wanted then performed a good job with great results for the benefit of myself and my family.”
- Shipages
Sterling G
Ashgrove, 2023
“Comfort Zone were very knowledge with great communication and follow up”
- Ghipages
Graham R
Riverhills, 2018
“Comfort Zone. Turned up ahead of time completed in +- 2 hours cleaned. All good. Very motivated installation team”
- Jhipages
Jung K
Riverhills, 2023
“An experienced family operation. Highly recommend. Thank you for the great job!”
- Khipages
Kathy A
North Lakes, 2023
“We connected with Peter through HiPages and he was prompt, professional and even came back after the job was complete to assist with a question we had. We would highly recommend Peter for further insulation works.”
- Dhipages
David H
Sunshine Coast, 2021
“Completed the job as quoted and to a high standard. Great personal service. Would highly recommend Comfort Zone for ceiling installationn work.”
- Shipages
Sue H
Sunshine Coast, 2021
“Incredible customer service”
- Ehipages
Eileen C
Cedar Vale, 2021
“Quality work, good customer service, prompt”
- Chipages
Craig M
Woody Point, 2021
“Called within 5 minutes of request. Very knowledgeable and explained job in great detail, provide great advice in prior preparation for works required. Very friendly and helpful.”
- Jhipages
Jenny C
Plainland, 2021
“Although I did not hire Peter I was impressed with the initial contact and the knowledge he was willing to impart. I was treated with respect which I appreciated. I would have hired but I received a lower quote.”
- Qhipages
Quinton
Coomera, 2020
“Professional installation without any short cuts. True to their word with high integrity. Response from Comfort Zone Insulation”
- Ghipages
Gary P
West Kempsey, 2020
“Came & Gave a free quote”
The short story
The 2009–10 pink batts grant: 200 insulation businesses became 8,300.
In 2009–10 the Federal Government’s Home Insulation Program offered free ceiling insulation to millions of homes. The number of insulation businesses jumped from roughly 200 to about 8,300 almost overnight, cheap imported stock flooded in, and then the whole scheme was halted in February 2010 and cancelled that April. The small, careful, local makers were left holding worthless stock. The multinational batt makers had the balance sheet to survive; most of the little Australian cellulose makers did not.
The deaths and fires that ended the scheme were tied to foil insulation and to untrained workers rushing batts in, never to cellulose, which was never banned and never found unsafe. The makers below weren’t bad operators. They were collateral damage of a policy. For the full background and the public sources behind these figures, read the history of cellulose insulation in Australia.
A detail most people don’t know
In Queensland, insulation wasn’t even a licensed trade.
On 1 September 2003, Queensland specifically excluded “preparation for, or installation of, insulation for acoustic or thermal control” from licensed building work (the QBSA Regulation 2003, carried through to today’s QBCC rules). In plain English: anyone could call themselves an insulation installer without a building licence.
That’s a big part of why the grant years went the way they did. When 8,000-odd brand-new operators piled in chasing free money, there was no licence standing between a homeowner and a bloke who bought a ute and a staple gun on the Friday. It’s also exactly why we put so much weight on training and safety standards in our own crews, and why we train every franchise operator properly.
Comfort Zone insulation.team
Family-owned insulation manufacturer, making comfy homes since 1986
Comfort Zone insulation.team
Family-owned insulation manufacturer, making comfy homes since 1986
The one everyone remembers
Cool or Cosy's Yatala plant in Queensland is gone. Adelaide isn't.
Before the grant, Cool or Cosy was everywhere, with head and branch offices around the country and a cellulose manufacturing plant at 36 Computer Road, Yatala in South East Queensland, making its “Supa-Cel” cellulose. The Adelaide business is still trading today; but according to ABN Lookup, the Queensland entity that ran the Yatala plant had its ABN cancelled on 7 August 2020.
If you’re searching for the old Cool or Cosy QLD
The numbers people remember from the Queensland / national operation were the general line 13 33 34 and the Yatala office on (07) 3297 4444 (earlier (07) 3804 6666). If that’s who you were chasing for a cellulose roof in South East Queensland, the Yatala operation is gone. But the product isn’t. We still make cellulose, an hour up the road in Tiaro.
ABN 37 055 452 910 · check it on ABN Lookup. The current Adelaide “Cool or Cosy” is a separate, still-active business.
Cancelled on the public record
The Australian cellulose makers whose ABNs are now cancelled.
Every company here is listed only because ABN Lookup shows its ABN as cancelled, and we link straight to that record so you can check it. A cancelled ABN is a registry fact, not a judgment about the business. These were good local makers.
AAA Cellulose Insulation Pty Ltd
Cellulose fibre · Murarrie / Cannon Hill, Brisbane QLD
ABN 91 083 330 965 · verify on ABN Lookup
Ecocell Pty Ltd
Cellulose fibre · Narangba / Brisbane Airport QLD
Last listed at 1090 Kingsford Smith Drive, Brisbane Airport QLD 4007.
ABN 49 135 629 631 · verify on ABN Lookup
Greenfibre Industries Pty Ltd
Cellulose fibre · Pennant Hills, Sydney NSW
ABN 47 138 119 178 · verify on ABN Lookup
Apex Cellulose Insulation Pty Ltd
Cellulose fibre · Hoppers Crossing / Werribee, Melbourne VIC
ABN 19 139 002 261 · verify on ABN Lookup
Woolcell Australia Pty Ltd
Cellulose / wool-blend fibre · Esperance WA
The “Woolcell” product brand is still sold today by other installers. It’s the Woolcell Australia Pty Ltd company whose ABN was cancelled.
ABN 62 054 029 015 · verify on ABN Lookup
Australian Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association Inc. (ACIMA)
The industry body for cellulose makers · South Australia
The standards body Australian cellulose was certified against. Its own ABN was cancelled in 2020.
ABN 31 773 084 986 · verify on ABN Lookup
This isn’t every insulation company that stopped trading. There were many more, including plenty of batt and foil installers. These are the cellulose makers we could verify on the register. If you ran one of these, or know a detail we’ve got wrong, tell us and we’ll fix it.
It wasn’t the product
The cellulose makers who came through.
Plenty didn't make it. But cellulose itself never went away. These makers are still trading today, which is the whole point: a good product, knocked about by a policy, not by any fault of its own.
Cool or Cosy (Adelaide / SA)
Still trading, established 1984. The separate, still-active Adelaide business (not the wound-up national/QLD entity).
Insulfluf (Azelia Insulation, Melbourne)
Still trading, a Melbourne cellulose maker going for over 50 years.
Roo Roofing (Brisbane)
Still trading, a Brisbane name from the grant era that came through.
Cellulose Insulation Manufacturing Co. (Brisbane)
Still trading, a Brisbane cellulose manufacturer.
Fibrecell (South Australia)
Still trading, an SA cellulose maker.
Queensland Insulation Co. / Natracel, now part of us
We bought Natracel; it trades on as a sister brand of Comfort Zone, on our ABN, pointing to our number. A survivor that became part of the family.
Searched an old company and landed here?
The company might be gone. The cellulose isn’t.
If you’ve got cellulose in your roof from one of these old makers and it doesn’t seem to be working, it’s almost always the install, not the product. About 90% of those calls just need a top-up to the right depth. And if you were simply trying to find someone who still does cellulose properly, that’s us. Is your existing cellulose safe?
We make cellulose at our factory in Tiaro and install it across Brisbane, South East Queensland and Northern NSW, the same proven Australian product, from the family that pumps it in.
Straight answers
What happened to Australia's insulation companies: the short answers.
What happened to all the insulation companies that used to be in the Yellow Pages?+
Most of the small, local ones are gone, and not because there was anything wrong with their product. The 2009–10 Home Insulation Program (the 'pink batts' grant) caused the number of insulation businesses to balloon from roughly 200 to about 8,300 chasing the free-insulation money, flooded the country with cheap imported stock, and then stopped dead in early 2010. When it stopped, the small operators were left holding worthless stock and unpaid jobs. The big multinational batt makers had the balance sheet to ride it out; many of the small local makers, including a lot of the cellulose ones, did not. The full story is in our cellulose-history guide.
Were these companies shut down for doing something wrong?+
No, and we're not suggesting that. A cancelled ABN is just a public record that a business deregistered that Australian Business Number with the tax office; it isn't a finding of any wrongdoing, and some businesses re-register or carry on under a new entity. We only list a company here when ABN Lookup shows its ABN as cancelled, we link straight to that record so you can check it yourself, and we list the ones that came through separately. If we've got a detail wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
Is Cool or Cosy still trading?+
Yes, the Adelaide business is still going (established 1984). What wound up was the national operation, including the Queensland manufacturing arm that ran the Yatala plant and made the 'Supa-Cel' cellulose; according to ABN Lookup that Queensland entity's ABN was cancelled in 2020. So if you remember Cool or Cosy's Brisbane or Yatala operation, that's the part that's gone. The South Australian business carries on.
I found an old insulation company's name or phone number. Can you still help me?+
Very likely, yes. If you've got cellulose in your roof from one of these old makers and it isn't performing, it's almost always the install, not the product. About 90% of those calls just need a top-up. We still make cellulose at our factory in Tiaro and install it right across South East Queensland and Northern NSW. Send us your address and we'll have a look.
Why did Queensland stop insulation being a licensed trade?+
On 1 September 2003, Queensland specifically excluded 'preparation for, or installation of, insulation for acoustic or thermal control' from licensed building work (QBSA Regulation 2003). It's carried through to the QBCC rules today. That meant anyone could call themselves an insulation installer without a building licence, which is part of why the grant years went so badly when 8,000-odd new operators piled in. It's also why we put so much weight on training and standards in our own crews.
Remember one of these old cellulose companies? Tell people who’s still making it.
A quick honest review genuinely helps a small family business, and helps the next person decide. Thank you.
Got photos or a video from the job? Here’s where to send them →
Cellulose makers still standing. We've made ours in Tiaro since 1986.
The grant thinned out the people who made this product. We never stopped. Send us your address and roof type and we’ll give you a fixed-price quote for Australian-made cellulose, or, if you’d like to help put it back on the map, look at our franchise.
Peter Johnson
Owner / installer · Comfort Zone Insulation Team® · Since 1986