3 Reasons Crawl Space Insulation is a Major Factor
Crawl spaces are a common building practice in many areas. There are benefits to using a crawl space compared to a basement or a slab foundation. Crawl spaces are cheaper to build than basements and they are also used when the ground conditions are not practical for a basement. Unlike a slab foundation they also allow for access to plumbing, wiring, and ducts. A crawl space can be dark, damp, cold and tight to work in though. If you do have a crawl space there are three reasons that insulating that space is a major factor in improving your home.
First, insulating the crawl space will improve the comfort level of your home. Without insulation in the crawl space the air under the house is cold, which makes the floor above it cold too. Since the air in the crawl space is always cold, the floor above is always cold too. Turning up the heat when it is cooler just sends the warm air upwards toward the attic, which doesn’t change the cold floor. There can also be dampness that can creep upward with the cold air. Insulating the space will keep the cold and damp from rising into the house.
Next, insulating a crawl space can decrease the cost of heating and cooling your home. Since there is cold air raising from the crawl space into the house it takes more energy to keep the home warm. The Department of Energy mentions how important it is to insulate from the roof to the foundation for the best energy efficiency in the article “Where to Insulate in a Home”. As mentioned earlier, without crawl space insulation the warm air rises and so does the cost of your heating.
Finally, insulating the crawl space can improve the quality of your home. Frozen or burst pipes in the crawl space can be costly to repair and cause plenty of damage. The article “Preventing Frozen Pipes” from the Chicago Tribune suggests that insulating the crawl space will help with the prevention of freezing pipes. The dampness of many crawl spaces causes mold, mildew and rot. Crawl space insulation and moisture barriers can help keep that mold and mildew from getting into the air in your house. This will improve your home’s air quality. This will also help keep the dampness from causing rot to the floor joists above the crawl space.
Crawl spaces are common but insulation in them is not. Improving your home’s comfort level, lowering your heating and cooling costs and improving the overall quality of your home are three important factors to look at when considering crawl space insulation.
