Basements tend to be overlooked as a place that can provide household comfort. Instead, it’s primarily used to do laundry or hold storage. However, just because it might not be the most desirable place to spend time, it doesn’t mean your basement lacks potential. Basements can be fully functional or turned into a fun addition to your living space. Regardless of your basement’s purpose, it does require insulation. Insulating your basement can help you achieve home comfort, lower monthly energy bills, and protect against water vapor damage.
The Advantages to Insulating Your Basement
Comfortable Living Space. Insulating basement walls and ceilings can prevent heat loss during the winter and create a consistent temperature all year round in your home. In addition, it is important to address air leaks in your basement to achieve optimal thermal efficiency. According to Energy Star, a common area susceptible to air leaks is along the top of a basement wall where your home’s foundation meets the wooden frame. Our CertaSeal INT™ is a reliable water-based acrylic spray that is code-compliant with indoor air quality, thermal efficiency, and home comfort.
Money Saver. The most common basement foundation materials are concrete, brick, and rubble. These elements are naturally very weak insulators, resulting in heat loss and inconsistent home temperatures. Uninsulated basements have a negative effect on your monthly energy savings, but, according to the EPA, it is estimated that homeowners can save an average of 15% on heating and cooling costs (or an average of 11% on total energy costs) by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces, and accessible basement rim joists.
Protection Against Moisture. Basements with improper insulation tend to suffer from more moisture damage. The outside temperatures, whether hot or cold, can create humid conditions in your basement. Trapped moisture can lead to rot, mold, and mildew that can damage your home and compromise comfort. Adding a vapor retarder to your basement’s insulation can significantly reduce the risk of moisture damage. Our MemBrain™ Continuous Air Barrier and Smart Vapor Retarder reacts to high and low humidity levels, keeping your home protected all year round. It is important to note that basements below grade are not recommended, per building code to have an interior vapor retarder. Refer to your local building code for additional information.
Walls. If your basement is heated, the walls should be insulated to protect interior air making contact with cold surfaces like concrete and rim joist framing. Building science recommends using non-water sensitive insulation that is fire safety compliant. We offer basement wall insulation that has two perforated facings, white PSK and standard FSK.
Ceilings. If your basement does not have heating, insulating its ceiling can further improve the overall comfort of your living space by stopping the naturally cooler basement temperatures from infiltrating the upstairs. Install unfaced fiberglass for optimal thermal efficiency. InsulPure™ offers reliable insulation that won’t settle or lose its R-value.
Create an optimal living space and discover our basement insulation products: https://www.certainteed.com/building-insulation/products/basement-wall-insulation/
