Perimeter Foundation Insulation
This section discusses:
Why
you should be concerned over the amount of energy lost around the perimeter of
your foundation
The amount of heat energy
lost through the perimeter of a basement floor could easily be equal to the amount
of heat lost from the entire attic area of a new home.
HOT2000 analyses of R-2000
Homes consistently show that the energy lost through a well-insulated ceiling
is approximately equivalent to the amount of energy lost through the perimeter
of an uninsulated basement floor. The significance of these numbers tells us that
in our quest for a better performing building envelope, this critical area should
not be overlooked.
How
heat energy is lost around the perimeter of your home's foundation
Basement floors lose heat
in two different ways; through the center and perimeter of the floor area. Heat
loss through the center of the floor travels straight down into the ground below
the floor. As this ground stays fairly warm year round, the difference in temperature
between the basement and the ground is not significant and thus the transfer of
heat minimal.
The perimeter, or first
meter of a basement or crawl space floor, exists under different circumstances.
Heat travels through this area sideways under the footing, which increases the
heat loss to a significant degree. Because the soil outside of the foundation
gets very cold in winter months, the temperature of the ground around the perimeter
of the basement is quite a bit colder than in the center. This larger difference
in temperature between the basement and the soil around its perimeter conducts
heat away from the basement in significant amounts. The closer the elevation of
the footing to grade, as in crawl spaces or raised bungalow designs, the colder
the ground temperature and the more significant the energy loss and impact on
your heating bill.
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