Basement Insulation

During winter, heated air coming from the heated rooms escape to unheated spaces of your house, e.g., garage, basement, outside, which results in heat loss. Conversely, in summer, cooler air is replaced by warmer air, thereby placing increased demands on air conditioning systems.

Properly insulating key areas of the house, including the basement will prevent heat flow, will lessen the heating and cooling demands.

The various types of basement insulation are:

• Sprayed foam insulation
• Foam board insulation
• Blanket insulation
• Loose-fill insulation
• Insulating concrete form

Sprayed foam insulation use polyurethane, phenolic, cementitious and polyisocyanurate as insulating materials and is ideal for insulating already finished areas as well as irregular shaped areas. Foam board insulation uses polystyrene, polyuerthane, polyisocyanurate and polyiso as insulating materials.

Blanket insulation uses plastic fibers, fiberglass, natural fibers, wool and rocks. Loose-fill insulation uses fiberglass, wool, cellulose and slaq as insulating materials. Using a special equipment, the insulating materials are blasted into place.

Insulating concrete forms uses foam boards as insulating materials. This type of insulation is built into the walls and has high thermal resistance.

Basement insulation can done either from the exterior or the interior. Exterior insulation offers several advantages:

• Saves room space.
• Prevents thermal bridging.
• Prevents moisture intrusion.
• In areas with severe climate, prevents the freeze-thaw cycle.
• Prevents basement surface condensation.

Interior insulation offers advantages, as well:

• Interior insulation is cheaper to install, especially in already existing buildings.
• Protects basement space from the cold earth better than exterior insulation.
• A wide array of insulation materials.
• Interior insulation also prevents insect infestations.