A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Measure Guideline: Hybrid Foundation Insulation Benefits
Basements can account for up to one quarter of the typical energy consumption in a house. Therefore, insulating foundations is a critical measure for achieving high performance buildings. This is important in both new construction and retrofits of existing buildings. The fundamental problems and best practice solutions for moisture-safe basement insulation have been well established. However, many foundations are damp (either due to bulk water or capillary wicking of moisture) or of a type of construction that is not easy or straightforward to insulate (such as rubble foundations). Damp foundation repair methods can be leveraged to provide energy efficiency benefits. An example of this hybrid approach is spray foam insulation, which can be an effective means of liquid phase water control (leaking basement), vapor phase water control (diffusion and air leakage transported condensation) as well as an effective insulation. One common question is whether or not to include the basement in the conditioned space, which determines the insulation location (at the basement ceiling or walls). Field experience shows that insulating and air sealing at the floor/ceiling plane is likely to result in poor overall airtightness: this is not acceptable for high performance housing. Therefore, including the basement within the conditioned space is the recommended approach, providing insulation at the foundation walls and possibly the floor slab.
Measure Guideline: Hybrid Foundation Insulation Benefits
Basements can account for up to one quarter of the typical energy consumption in a house. Therefore, insulating foundations is a critical measure for achieving high performance buildings. This is important in both new construction and retrofits of existing buildings. The fundamental problems and best practice solutions for moisture-safe basement insulation have been well established. However, many foundations are damp (either due to bulk water or capillary wicking of moisture) or of a type of construction that is not easy or straightforward to insulate (such as rubble foundations). Damp foundation repair methods can be leveraged to provide energy efficiency benefits. An example of this hybrid approach is spray foam insulation, which can be an effective means of liquid phase water control (leaking basement), vapor phase water control (diffusion and air leakage transported condensation) as well as an effective insulation. One common question is whether or not to include the basement in the conditioned space, which determines the insulation location (at the basement ceiling or walls). Field experience shows that insulating and air sealing at the floor/ceiling plane is likely to result in poor overall airtightness: this is not acceptable for high performance housing. Therefore, including the basement within the conditioned space is the recommended approach, providing insulation at the foundation walls and possibly the floor slab.
Measure Guideline: Hybrid Foundation Insulation Benefits
K. Ueno (author) / J. Lstiburek (author)
2012
83 pages
Report
No indication
English
Energy Use, Supply, & Demand , Construction Materials, Components, & Equipment , Architectural Design & Environmental Engineering , Foundations , Thermal insulation , Houses , Energy consumption , Air leakage , Basements , Benefits , Buildings , Construction , Energy efficiency , Floors , Installation , Retrofitting , Walls
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