Winter comes with many challenges, especially if your basement isn’t in good condition. It would help if you had a complete guide on how to heat a basement efficiently in winter. There is no to worry anymore because it is possible to curb the challenges by installing additional heat sources.
Therefore, this article should equip you with significant ways to warm your basement in cold seasons. Knowledge is here. What you only need is to have the right heater and avail yourself. You will be able to know common ways of heating a room in winter.
Ways to heat your basement in winter
It is essential to take measures to insulate your house correctly to curb hit loss
challenges. Doing so is crucial as it might spare you from investing in an extra heating system. Below are some standard methods that you can put into practice to improve your basement’s insulation. Besides, these ways can conserve the heat already in the house.
Identify cold spots
The first act to attempt to reduce heat loss will be to identify cold spots. You can do this using a thermal camera; entirely scan your basement. Scanning should be done from the ceiling, walls up to the floor. After spotting colder areas in your basement, go on and add insulation or seal cracks.
Sometimes you can purchase or lease a thermal camera based on your pocket. You will save a lot of money you could spend on the electricity bill.
Insulate the house to let in warm air and drive out cold air.
A basement with proper insulation can save you some money on the electricity bill. Besides, you will have a dry and comfortable living space. Indeed, the earth is always an excellent natural insulator, but it isn’t sufficient for warming your basement. Remember, there are several available insulation types for your basement windows, walls, rim joists, air ducts, and floors.
Try also to add insulation and frame-in the house with drywall for the unfinished basement. Sometimes there might also be cinder or stone block walls. Fix them up to reduce heat loss. It is advisable to use extruded foam insulation for your concrete wall. On the other hand, fibreglass insulation remains essential for wood.
Spray foam insulation can be suitable if you already installed the interior walls in your house. More so, ensure there is no trim around the windows of your basement; check for available gaps, and supplement it with extra insulation. It is also possible to use subfloor strips to keep your basement warm.
Air ducts sometimes might become useless. Replace them with well-insulated vents. You can also wrap them in no-gap insulation.
Seal cracks or leaks in the floors, walls, and foundation
Common heat loos culprits in your basement might be air leaks in doors edges, windows, seams, and the rim joists. Places between the ceiling and the wall joints between the door and the floor might also cause heat loss. Based on the repairing materials, Itis advisable to seal all openings using an appropriate sealant properly.
For that case, most DIYers prefer using Foam sealants over silicone sealants because they are associated with more insulation. Besides, you can paint them when they get dry. However, silicone sealants remain flexible and ideal for handling expanding and shrinking wood around the windows. On top of that, remember to replace the bonds because they tend to degrade over the years.
Replace the existing walkout doors or windows with energy-conserving options
Glass windows are another culprit for heat loss, especially when they are single glazed. Therefore, it is advisable to replace the tour house’s existing walkout doors and windows with double-glazed ones for maximum insulation. The process includes two parallel glass separate pieces with argon or air in-between to enhance insulation capabilities.
Top up a one-way reflective tint to your double-glazed windows for more effective heat conservation.
Install floor rugs or wall-to-wall carpet
Many basements feature tiled or cement floors that do not only lead to heat loss but are entirely not good for your feet. If your house doesn’t experience flooding or moisture complications, try as much as possible to cover the floor to reduce heat loss.
If you fail to get a wall-to-wall carpet, try other cheap methods to warm a room, like installing a rug over congested sites. Doing so will keep your feet free from cold. A lot of people prefer using mats with wool materials and thicker piles for better insulation.
Use cellular shades or heavy curtains.
Using thick and heavy curtains to cover your windows can be a more effective way of warming a basement in winter. However, you can avoid the curtain’s bulkiness by investing in cellular shades.
Cellular shades can excellently minimize unnecessary heat loss by up to 80 percent than non-shaded windows. Honeycomb pattern in cellular shades conveniently acts as air pockets to provide maximum insulation.
Warm your basement with extra heating options
Now that your basement is adequately insulated and heat loss is minimized, it’s now time to go for cost-efficient and effective ways of heating your house. Below are some of the heat-adding options to ensure your basement is warm 24/7 at different prices.
Install heat vents
It can be a great move to expand the existing central air system and tap into your current basement’s ductwork to heat a room. By doing so, you will save a lot of monthly bills. However, install an extra heat vent always comes with a huge budget then going for a space heater.
I thought the heat vents should have fewer threats to your long term electricity bill. Therefore, I would advise you to seek clarification from the HVAC expert to determine whether the solution is suitable for your basement. Doing so is essential for compatibility purposes; don’t install a wrong heat generation device.
Heated floor
Here is another way that you can warm your basement by using radiant heat. Newly constructed homes need heated floors, especially for those who don’t care about splashing extra dollars to electricity bill comfort during the winter. Floor heating comes in two simple ways, i.e., use of hydronic heat and electric radiant heat.
The first option involves electric wiring installation under the floor to slowly heat the stone, tiled, or concrete flooring. Both options are quite expensive but come with excellent advantages as they will flow naturally from the ground to warm your well-insulated basement.
Electric space heater
Some expert affirms that installing a space heater, whether infrared Quartz, ceramic, forced-air, or electric can be a remarkable technique to warm your basement without shaking your electricity bill. Electric space heaters are convenient because they don’t need any installation; out of the box, plug in the socket, and start using.
However, it would help if you planned to use the heater in small rooms or utilize it for shorter periods. Failure to do that will lead to a colossal electricity bill after the winter months.
Install a house heating system
Many homeowners affirm that standard basement heating options are stove fireplaces and electric baseboard heaters. Baseboards are excellent devices for single heating rooms. The only disadvantage with baseboard heaters is that you cannot place your couch against the wall hosting the heater.
Pellet and wood stove fireplaces are convenient ways for heating bigger basements.
Frequently asked questions
What are other cheap ways to keep yourself warm?
Putting on many thick clothes and layers can be a simple technique that reduces heat loss from your body. Another way is to shut doors to minimize cold air entrance.
Are these basement-heating options affordable?
Although some come with a bulky budget, you can still afford and spare electricity bill.
Conclusion
From the above article, we can agree that keeping your basement cozy and warm is possible. All of the above methods are common and affordable. There is no need to avoid your basement during the summer; use the above ways and feel comfortable.