Floor Insulation - Helps Reduce Energy Bills

An average house loses about 10% of heat through the floor. As always, heat loss will be devastating to your energy bills, and if you will not do something about it, you will have these expenses every year. Floor insulation is a one-time expense that you have to pay out if your floor is not insulated.

There are different makes of houses which you have to know to invest in insulating your floor. Older homes have “suspended floors”, which in effect has a space under it. This is likely to lose heat through the floor.

Those with concrete floors (constructed maybe in the 30s) have a lesser problem. Concrete insulation can be installed and usually consists of a layer of solid insulation placed directly in the floor. Today’s modern houses usually incorporate slabs of polystyrene insulation below the concrete floor to reduce this type of heat loss.

Insulation methods

There are several ways to insulate your floor. One is draught-proofing. This is simply using a sealant (or caulking) to fill the gaps between the floorboards of your house and between the skirting boards and your floor.

Another way is adding an insulating layer under your carpet floor covering. Some use fiberboard underlay or boards of polyfoam.

Getting an under floor insulation is one good solution. If you have access that allows you to get into the crawlspace below the floorboards, it is easy enough. If not, you need to take up the floorboards and will need a netting or wooden battens to hold the glass or mineral wool in place beneath the floorboards.

Choosing the insulation

There is the old reliable fiberglass insulation sold in rolls and batt forms. They are both available with or without Kraft paper facing. Rolls are easy to transport and can be cut to the desired length. These are good for large areas to cover.

Batts usually come in pre-cut lengths for faster installation. Each package contains more square feet than those in rolls. This is perfect for framed cavities.

Faced insulation uses Kraft paper that will act as vapor barriers that will control the moisture transmission between the walls and the floors. The unfaced insulation does not have vapor barriers. It can be used over existing insulation in attics where there is no need for moisture control.

The high-performance all-purpose insulation combines the benefits of improved air quality, fire resistance, sound proofing, and great thermal performance.

Measuring / installing

In order that you will be able to calculate how much you need, you need to measure the floor joists you need to insulate. You also need to measure out the width between the floors joists so you have the correct insulation joists.

You need to install the insulation and have continuous contact with the subfloor above it. If there are gaps between the floor and the insulation, the air movements will reduce the insulation. Don’t forget to consult experts when you do them yourself.

While floor insulation is a great way to save money, it is by no means the first form of insulation you should do for your home.