Winter is around the corner. Unless you’ve invested this year in home energy improvements, your home will be as inefficient and uncomfortable this winter as it was last winter.
If your home has a crawl space, sealing and insulating your crawl space can dramatically improve your home’s comfort, reduce energy bills and improve the quality of air inside your home.
Today’s building science proves that what’s beneath our home affects the comfort inside our home. A home’s natural airflow is from bottom to top (from the ground to sky). As your home naturally breathes, air is drawn up from the basement or crawl space, through the living area and out the attic. This natural airflow means air from a moist crawl space (and everything in the crawl space) flows up and into your home’s living area.
Here are three reasons to insulate your crawl space before winter:
- Improved air quality: Crawl spaces are naturally damp. As your home breathes, air from your crawl space flows into your home’s living space through penetration points around wiring, plumbing holes and more. This means the air in your crawl space is mingling with the air you breathe every day. Not only is this distasteful, it’s unhealthy. Air sealing and insulating your crawl space will improve the air quality and help keep pollutants out of your home.
- Lower energy bills: Does your furnace run more than you’d like during winter? This is a result of your HVAC system heating air from the crawl space that’s mingling with the air that’s already been heated. This means your HVAC system is continually working to maintain your home’s internal temperature. This results in higher energy bills — and more wear and tear on your HVAC system.
- A more comfortable home: An unfinished crawl space affects your home’s everyday comfort. Are your floors cold? Is your main living area significantly cooler than the upper level of your home? Sealing and insulating your crawl space will help. After a short time in an uncomfortable home, you’ll wish you’d invested in upgrading your crawl space.
You may have other questions about your crawl space. We welcome you to contact us to discuss your specific situation. Ready to be energy efficient with crawl space insulation? Contact us to schedule a free crawl space estimate.