Does Your Home Need Crawl Space Insulation?
May 21, 2020
Crawl Space insulation is an important part of home comfort and energy efficiency. The crawl space is the area underneath your home that occupies the space between the ground and your first floor. Professionally installed crawl space insulation is capable of making a tremendous improvement to home comfort on every floor of your home. A professional installer can also ensure that your crawl space insulation can help to lower moisture levels, which helps you prevent mould and potential water damage for your home in Ontario.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of crawl space insulation, or if you would like to start a conversation with us about upgrading your home, please fill out the form below. This will put you in touch with our Customer Experience Team, from whom you can request a free assessment of the current insulation in your home.
The Myth About Crawl Space Insulation
The unfortunate myth that surrounds crawl space insulation is that it is not necessary for every homeowner - since it is not a climate controlled area. This is untrue. In fact, every homeowner in Ontario could see improvements from having crawl space insulation professionally installed in their home. It can be easy to discredit the benefits of insulating the space beneath your home, since it is an area that is often overlooked due to it not being a livable space, but it is actually capable of helping you improve your home in more ways than one. This is due to the positive effects that strong crawl space insulation has on your home’s building envelope.
The Benefits of Professionally Installed Crawl Space Insulation
- Reduce the spread of crawl space odours
- Stronger home energy efficiency
- Improved moisture control that helps prevent mould
- Warmer floors during the winter
- Better interior air quality
- Improved home comfort levels on every floor
Crawl Space Insulation and Your Home Comfort
Your home comfort is directly tied to your home’s level of insulation, air sealing, and energy efficiency. As you improve your home through insulation and air sealing upgrades, you will also notice that your home becomes more comfortable to live in. Your air sealing helps reduce drafts and cold spots, while your crawl space insulation reduces your home’s overall energy loss and improves energy efficiency. This means that every floor of your home stands to see improvements just by having crawl space insulation and / or air sealing professionally installed.
Target the Best Upgrades First with a Home Energy Audit
If you would like to know which areas of your home require the most attention first, GNI will arrange for you to have a whole-home energy audit conducted by a registered energy advisor. This provides you with a complete look into your home’s energy performance, along with a list of upgrade suggestions that are specific to your home and ordered in terms of their cost-effectiveness
Crawl Space Insulation and Your Home Energy Efficiency
As mentioned earlier, even though your home’s crawl space is not climate controlled, it is a part of the building envelope of your home. This is the protective armour that your home’s insulation and air sealing form to keep you separate from the great outdoors. This means that you should consider adding effective air sealing and insulation to your crawl space, in order to maintain strong levels of energy efficiency throughout every season in Ontario. It also means that your home’s energy efficiency is directly tied to the performance levels of your insulation and air sealing.
The stronger that your home’s crawl space insulation and air sealing is, the stronger that your building envelope will be. And the stronger that your building envelope is, the better your home comfort levels and energy efficiency will be. In other words, the building envelope of your entire home is only as strong as its weakest link. So it is important that every part of your home is well protected with effective insulation and air sealing - especially where it is needed most. A home energy audit can help you determine these locations in your household.
Home Air Sealing Starts with an Airtightness Test
To make home air sealing easy, GNI offers airtightness tests to Ontario homeowners. Through an airtightness test, every air leak within your home’s building envelope can be identified and flagged for air sealing. This makes air sealing upgrades easy, and allows you to see how much air is escaping from your home every hour (known as Air Changes per Hour or ACH). An airtightness test is also an important part of helping you prevent mould, since it locates the problem areas of air intrusion and helps identify any spots of potential moisture build up.
How to Use Spray Foam for Crawl Space Insulation
Spray foam is a common and fantastic choice for crawl space insulation in Ontario. Partly because it has such a strong R-Value per installed inch, but also because it improves air sealing and moisture control all in one. When used as crawl space insulation, spray foam insulation can make a complete air seal that prevents unwanted air transfer between the inside of your building envelope and out. It does this by form fitting to the space that is installed in, which ensures every small air leak or crack is effectively and properly sealed.
With less air leaks and better moisture control, spray foam also helps prevent mould in your crawl space by limiting moisture build up. A GNI insulation consultant can help you address any potential moisture issues that your home’s crawl space might face. This includes helping homeowners with dirt floor crawl spaces manage their higher moisture levels throughout the changing seasons.
Book an Assessment for Your Home’s Crawl Space Insulation
If you are interested in adding crawl space insulation to your home, GNI can book an assessment to help you see where you stand and what your most optimal next steps could be. A home energy audit is also a pathway to cost-effective home upgrades, as it shows you which upgrades you could make to see the biggest improvements to home comfort and energy efficiency for the lowest possible cost. To get in touch with GNI and book an assessment of your own, please contact us by telephone, or online.
