Keep out the cold for money and energy savings
Winter is here, and if you live in a home with a pier-and-beam foundation, you may be exposed to circulating open air beneath your floor. This can make it difficult to keep your home warm in cold weather — and when you turn up your thermostat to compensate, your electric bill gets higher.
This season, you can take steps to insulate your home against cold weather and high bills.
Air insulation
Whether you hire a professional or do it yourself, insulating your foundation prevents heat from being lost through your floor. Our energy service advisors recommend using insulation batts rated R-19 or higher.
R-19 refers to the thickness of the fiberglass batt. Anything thicker than R-19 will also work but avoid using anything thinner when insulating your floor joists.
Other insulation options include foam board insulation, which homeowners can place atop floor joists and secure with caulk or insulation tape, and spray-foam insulation, a mold-resistant solution that requires professional application.
Steal gaps
Seal any place where wiring and plumbing emerge from the crawlspace into the house, and any place in your foundation wall where wiring and plumbing exits. This keeps out cold air as well as pests.
Add skirting
Augment your insulation project by adding skirting around the base of your home. While skirting alone isn’t as effective as insulation, it can help reduce wind flow beneath the structure.
The areas you want to focus on the most are the insulation and air filtration sites. You will be able to efficiently heat your home and save some of your hard-earned dollars by addressing these two critical areas.
