Basements can be a wonderful area of the home, providing extra storage space, a place for a hobby workshop, or a play area for your children. But they can also be a space with a host of problems. The insulation of basements is a very important issue, and one that is important not to neglect – equally as important as a home energy assessment!

Poorly Insulated Basements Accounts for 20% of Heating Bills
Actually, 20-25% of a heating bill can be consumed by air leakage in the basement. This little gem of information is something you your home energy auditor should be informing you of – as well as educating you on ways to reduce this. Realizing you’re losing this much money every month on your heating bill because of a shoddy basement should surely inspire you to do something about it! Being educated on the ‘why’ of less exciting renovations is essential in ensuring the work gets done. It goes hand in hand with understanding the many rebates available to you once the work is completed – yet another motivator.

Thing to Remember When Insulating Your Basement
Not only is insulating a basement an efficient method to reduce your energy costs, it also serves to make the basement a more comfortable place to be in. If you intend to have a home office, play area, or any other kind of space where you’d like to spend any amount of time, it’s worth the investment to properly insulate the area. It’s going to prevent mold, prevent uncomfortable humidity, and allows for better control of temperature within the basement – no more piling on the blankets just to enjoy a movie!

The Importance of Moisture Barriers
Moisture barriers are a type of protective barrier applied to the interior of the foundation walls in the basement. What makes this so important to the process of insulating a basement? If a moisture barrier is not installed prior to insulating, there’s a risk of the insulation becoming wet, which will hamper its effectiveness and may cause mold to grow. You may feel tempted to reduce costs, but this is definitely not an area to skimp! You won’t notice issues immediately, but there are big issues to deal with in the future.