Is It Worth Insulating Under Basement Floor

Without insulation heat and cool air are easily lost through the floor.

Is it worth insulating under basement floor.

For homes without basements and those with unheated cellars adding insulation can bring heating costs. While insulating these areas is important homeowners can also save money on their heating and cooling costs if they insulate the space under their floors. The old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure really means something in a basement. Once the basement is prepped choose an insulation to reduce heat loss and moisture transfer from the slab.

Underfloor insulation can take a variety of forms. I posted on the basement insulation site but i ve developed my thinking a little more and now ponder whether this would work for the concrete basement floor that i very much want to finish in ceramic tile 6 poly 1 xps foam 3 4 advantech 1 2 hardibacker thinset and 1 4 tile. To enclose the space in a thermal envelope. If the basement floor is wet hire a professional find the source of the problem and fix it before doing anything.

You know we re kidding about the cold feet but it really is true. Insulating a basement is a great idea if it wasn t insulated when built as before we began insulating foundation walls and below slabs see slab on grade it was generally estimated that basement heat loss accounted for about 1 3 of the total heat loss of a house it is likely that such an abysmal starting place made the addition of any insulation at all seem sufficient so basements built to. Floors above cold spaces such as vented crawl spaces and unheated garages. If you can t afford to fix the problem or don t want to invest the money do not insulate the floor.

4b slab floors built directly on the ground. Address uneven floors prior to installing any floor system the low spots should be fixed with concrete patch or floor leveler. Filling the spaces between the floor joists under the cottage with insulation batts is the simplest and most cost effective method. Insulation also helps to preserve the air quality and reduce energy costs.

For that matter don t do anything. Nothing good will come from insulating on top of a wet basement floor. While it is always a good idea to insulate concrete slabs you don t need to do so especially in your climate. If you have an insulated floor you re going to find that that floor surface is a lot warmer than it is right now.

There are two types of crawl spaces ventilated and unventilated and each requires its own form of insulation. 4c as an alternative to floor insulation foundation walls of unvented crawl spaces. Insulation projects are often focused on exterior walls and attics. You want the most insulation in the attic tapering down to the base.

Buildings tend to lose heat in descending amounts form the top down. To get the highest r value completely fill the cavities between the joists. And i do think that insulating floors is a good idea and in fact in most building codes they require floors to be insulated.