Top 8 Reasons To Insulate Your Floor This Winter

Home owners tend to focus on wall and ceiling insulation products, forgetting that up to 20% of winter heat losses and summer heat gains occurs through the floor of your home. Installing underfloor insulation batts is a great investment for your existing or new home providing comfort all year-round!

1. Underfloor Insulation Reduces Heat Loss in Winter

Keeping your home toasty and warm in winter can be a difficult task for the uninsulated home, with heat escaping through every corner of your home. Fortunately, it is never too late to install underfloor insulation! In older homes with wooden floor boards, over 20% of your homes heat can be lost through the floor. Installing floor insulation significantly reduces heat loss, creating a comfortable warm home that can be enjoyed during the winter months.

2. Underfloor Insulation Can Reduce Energy Usage

Installing underfloor insulation batts helps to regulate indoor temperatures in your home and works to optimize heat retainment and reduce heat loss. This means that heaters and air conditioners can run at lower settings and are more efficient in heating and cooling your home. Reducing your energy usage not only saves you money on your energy bills, it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and our carbon footprint on the environment. With cheap underfloor insulation available at Pricewise Insulation, taking the step to reduce your homes energy usage has never been easier.

3. Energy Bill Savings with Underfloor insulation

An insulated and well-designed home provides comfort and supports energy efficiency all year round, thus significantly cutting your energy bills. A fully insulated home compared to a home without insulation can save you as much as 50% on your energy bills! If you have an older home or an extension that is missing underfloor insulation batts it is highly recommended to retrofit the floor insulation as you can save yourself between 10% to 20% on your next energy bill. Insulating your home can pay itself off in around five to six years and in the meantime, you can enjoy the rewards of a comfortable temperature-controlled home.

4. Reduces Air Draughts with Underfloor Insulation

Underfloor insulation acts as a barrier between your floor and outdoor temperatures, reducing air drafts from entering your home through holes and cracks in your floor. Without floor insulation, air draughts can create fluctuating internal temperature in your home and reduce the efficiency of heating and cooling appliances. Air leakage can account for 15% to 25% of heat losses and heat gains in your home, thus installing underfloor insulation batts can significantly reduce air leakages, increasing your homes energy efficiency.

5. Install Underfloor Insulation For A Warmer Floor In Winter

Without underfloor insulation, the floor of your home can be cold and drafty. As much as 20% of your heating and cooling energy can be lost through an uninsulated floor. Installing cheap underfloor insulation material provides a barrier between your floor and external weather conditions. Additionally, floor insulation can give you a warmer floor which in turn creates a more comfortable atmosphere in your home.

6. Retrofit Underfloor Insulation In Your Existing Home

Retrofitting insulation in your floor is a great investment which can greatly improve the comfort of your home and reduce energy bills! Additionally, installing your own floor insulation makes for a great DIY project and can save you the installation fee. Before purchasing underfloor insulation batts, calculate the square meter (m2) coverage to be insulated and floor joist spacing. Stud spacings are usually, 450mm or 600mm centers. Use 415mm wide batts for a joist spacing of 450mm and 565mm wide batts for a joist spacings of 600mm. Remember to wear appropriate safety gear and switch off the power supply before you commence installation. For more great tips and advice, review our “How to install insulation” page.

7. Choose A Higher R-value for Underfloor Insulation

The R-value of insulation describes the products thermal resistance rating and indicates its ability to prevent heat flow. Therefore, the greater the R-value the greater the thermal performance and resistance to heat transfer. The thickness of insulation does not correspond to its R-value; thus, a higher R-value increases performance without necessarily compromising on the thickness of the product and its usability. The recommended R-value for underfloor insulation batts is an R2.5, however choosing a higher R-value provides greater thermal performance and will save you more on your energy usage. Pricewise insulation offers cheap underfloor insulation material in a variety of R-values and brands.

8. Minimize noise levels with Underfloor insulation

Underfloor insulation batts can provide both thermal and acoustic benefits to your home. Installing floor insulation can reduce reverberation noise and dampen the sound of foot traffic, giving your floor a more solid feel. Additionally, installing underfloor insulation batts reduces external noise transfer into your home, creating a sound barrier. Minimizing noise levels creates a home in which you can relax and recuperate, at the end of a busy day.

“Doctors and psychologists agree that noise has the ability to raise stress, disrupt your sleep and generally reduce your quality of life.” – Source: Bradford Insulation