Adding Insulation To Concrete Walls

Adding extra insulation to the exterior walls of an older home when renovating or remodeling is a great way of improving a home s walls thermal performance and reducing energy use while reducing heating bills carbon footprint and improving a building s comfort level.

Adding insulation to concrete walls.

Achieving greater r values in attics the higher the r value the better the thermal performance of the insulation. Solid walls built of brick stone concrete block log or wood plank do not have a cavity that can be insulated. Only a cost benefit analysis in relation to your own situation can help you arrive at the right answer. When insulating concrete basement walls a good idea because concrete basement walls are often cold use rigid foam board insulation if the insulation will come into direct contact with the.

Many solid walls including double brick walls see figure 7 1 have a small cavity generally less than 25 mm 1 in which is a drainage plane that. If you plan to insulate your basement walls with spray foam the best approach is to frame your 2 4 walls before the foam is sprayed leaving a gap of 1 1 2 in. One advantage to the novice who has neither the equipment the tools nor experience to install foam insulation is that rigid foam insulation can be installed very simply. Retrofit wall insulation is a debatable subject because there is no single right answer for all homes and homeowners.

Adding insulation to your concrete walls improves your home s energy. Now as you glue the panels to the exposed concrete blocks leave a inch gap at the floor and ceiling and cut holes in the panels to fit around outlets and wall switches. While concrete provides a high degree of strength and durability it offers very little natural insulation for the home. After the adhesive cures add extension boxes to the outlets and switches and spray foam into every gap top bottom and around each box.

The only option is to add insulation to the exterior or to the interior. In some cases the cost of adding insulation may exceed the cost of energy needed to heat or cool it. It may look easy to go buy some packs of rigid insulation panels down at the. Find your zone on the map and then use the chart to determine the level of insulation you need to properly insulate your attic walls floors and crawlspaces.

When adding insulation to concrete applications such as foundations walls and slabs one of the more highly recommended forms is rigid foam insulation.