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Cellar and Foundation

It seems that what's out of sight in the cellar is out of mind as well. Many centrally-heated homes lose more energy through a heated basement than through the roof.

Solid, heat-conducting rock, brick, and poured concrete have only fractional R-values, and even with their open cells covered, 8"-wide concrete blocks rate only R-1 1/4. Newly built foundations are insulated with 1" of rigid foam below grade, plus a collar of another inch over the portions above ground level. In older homes, you'll need to attach foam panels inside with metal lath or wood furring strips. Fasten them to brick or concrete cellar walls with concrete nails, or to stone walls with screw anchors cemented between rocks.

It may be easier to insulate your cellar walls with rolled fiberglass set into a floor-to-ceiling, 2 x 4 partition. As suggested above for a sloping attic roof, place air vent baffles behind fiberglass and a vapor barrier in front. A raised, insulated cellar floor can prevent up to 15% of energy loss. Allow for water drainage if walls or floor leak even a little. (For details, see any of the books or articles on building a rec room in the basement.)

Most unintentional cellar heat loss is due to radiation from a poorly insulated water heater and pipes, furnace and hot air ducts, or a long run of flue pipe. You can cure most of the problem yourself. A blanket over the hot-water heater can save plenty (your electric utility company may install it free). Strips of duct tape—the real thing from a heating supply outlet, not cheap "Duck" tape—will seal seams in hot air ducting. You can tape foam sleeves to insulate water pipes and install an insulated flue between the furnace and chimney.

But fire and building codes are strict when it comes to insulating furnaces. Consult a licensed heating contractor, and have him install an automatic flue damper that closes when the flame has been out long enough to exhaust combustion gasses but keeps clean warm air from being lost up your flue.

We only use the oil furnace to supplement wood stoves during the depth of winter, and the unheated cellar can get cold. To keep plumbing from freezing up, I wrapped electric heat tape around the pipes (soil pipe leading to the septic tank as well as the water supply) and enclosed the water pump in an insulated box with a light bulb inside. Between the joists under the living room floor, I installed 6", foil backed, rolled fiberglass, with foil facing up to reflect radiant heat back into the room. With a fiber-pad-backed carpet carrying an R-value of over 2, our feet stay warm during the wood-heat season.

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