A basement that can be cool on a hot summer day can be chilly when the weather is cold.
Yet basements are the logical place to expand additional living space.
Fortunately, there are several easy ways to increase the heat in your basement.
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Standard Solutions
Basements need active heating.
They will also increase your utility bills significantly.
Hydronic systems will cost less to operate but installation will be very expensive.
Extending your home’s existing HVAC ductwork system to the cold basement areas is usually the best solution.
For floors, install sleeper strips, add insulation, and lay a new subfloor and flooring on top.
This is because the earth itself regulates basement temperatures effectively.
Better Solutions
If your basement already hasfinished wallsand ceilings, insulating them may not be cost-effective.
The energy savings will not overtake the cost of improvements.
Instead, consider other strategies to reduce heat loss and draftiness in your basement.
Ground-level cold is the real culprit.
Insulating the right parts of your basement is the best long-term solution to make your house warmer.
You may only find some of the steps relevant to your situation.
If you are finishing your basement, this step is a must.
Thermal imaging cameras are no longer just for house inspectors and energy auditors.
Cheap but effective cameras can be purchased for a modest investment.
Leasing a camera from an equipment center is also an option.
Insulate the Rim Joists and Headers
Add insulation to rim joists and headers.
The non-insulated rim joists and headers of your house are the biggest contributors to heat loss.
These framing members of the floor platform rest on the concrete foundation and cause significant heat loss.
In older homes, these spaces are often left uninsulated.
Insulating these is essential to making the space warmer.
Confine the furnace, water heater, washer, and dryer in a single unheated room.
This will make it easier to control the temperature in other parts of the basement.
Insulate Basement Ceilings Below Unheated Spaces
Add insulation to basement ceilings below unheated areas.
Rooms on the ground level that are not heated will compromise your efforts to heat the basement below.
This will prevent it from migrating to the unheated space above.
Add Heat
Supplement basement heating as they lack the benefit of solar heat gain.
However, adding heat sources alone is wasteful.
Practical measures to block drafts and prevent heat loss are necessary.
Luckily, there are some economical means of adding heat to a basement.
It is important to double-check that the heat-loss solutions described above have been followed before adding supplemental heat.
The most inexpensive solution is probably portable space heaters.
Electric heaters are easy to buy and do not need professional installation.
All you have to do is plug it in and let it blow hot hair.
It will work quickly to warm up the immediate space around it.
