Heating and Cooling Info From Warmair.net
Energy Conservation
Heat is energy. Conservation is needed to keep energy inside (heating season)
or outside (cooling season). In the 1970s, the rumor spread that
the earth would soon run out of energy. Numerous laws were enacted
to conserve energy and invest in renewable resources, including
wind, wood, and solar energy. Lower speed limits reduced fuel
consumption. The fuel shortage has disappeared, Detroit is producing
gas-guzzlers again, the speed limits are back up, and there are
no longer incentives for alternate fuels. The only hangover from
the energy conservation effort is the insulated floor over a basement
that is not vented to the outside.
Anyone who has ever handled fiberglass insulation knows that it is not compatible
with the human body. In 1994 the federal government labeled fiberglass
as a possible carcinogen, but lobbying convinced congress that
people would not normally come into contact with it in everyday
life. In most houses it is buried behind the sheetrock in the
walls or above it in the attic. The basement is different. Many
people use their basements regularly. Children play there, washers
and dryers are sometimes located in the basement. Fiberglass in
the floor joists rains dust down as people walk on the floor above,
creating a layer of fiberglass dust on the floor waiting to be
stirred up when someone walks through it. Any carpenter or technician
who has to work in the insulation years after it was installed
can tell tales of the mice residing in it and the unhealthy residue
they leave behind.
Does it insulate the first floor from the cellar? Yes, but the temperature difference
is probably only 10 or 15 degrees. Is it worth the health risk?
Probably not. A quick trip to the attic will show why. The ductwork
in the attic is wrapped with R-8 insulation. If there is an air
handler up there, it has even less insulation in it. The heating
and cooling system is insulated with R-8 or less, over a ceiling
insulated to R-38. The 68 degree air inside the house is insulated
at R-38, while the 100 degree air inside the duct is insulated
with R-8. An extra 25% was added to the system to compensate for
loss into the attic.
Why not take the insulation out of the floor joists in the basement and put
it over the ductwork in the attic? It would increase the efficiency
of the attic system, eliminate the health risk in the basement,
and not break any code rules by keeping the house at the AVERAGE
energy conservation number as required. It is permissible, as
per section 502.2.2 of the International Energy Conservation Code,
to over insulate some areas and under-insulate others, so long
as the building does not lose more energy because of this action.
In this case, the savings could be as much as 20%, if the system
does both heating and cooling.
It would also make more sense to insulate the walls of the basement. This
would keep the heating system and the plumbing system in conditioned
space.
If you are building a new house, take a copy of this to your building inspector
and get his permission to make this alteration.
Also, never insulate the floor over a crawl space. Insulate the walls of the
foundation. It will keep the space drier and eliminate the housing
for rodents.
Copyright © 1999 Warmair.com, Inc.
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