I had my basement finished about 4 years ago. At that point I elected to use Roxul mineral wool insulation over fiberglass due to its superior ability to resist mold/water etc.
Overall I was very happy with the job that was done, but notice that the basement is still quite chilly relative to the main floor, which makes it uncomfortable in the summer. I've closed the air registers to the basement to limit the AC from blowing more cold air. The contractor installed a sub-floor etc as well.
At the time that we did the reno I would say that spray foam insulation wasn't something that was perhaps as main stream as it is now, and frankly, I regret not choosing it, as a neighbour of mine used it when he finished his basement and it is noticeably warmer than our basement.
Other than using an electric heater etc, do any of you have any suggestions on how we could warm up the space? I was thinking that radiant floor heating may be an option (don't mind taking the floor covering up at some point as we used laminate).
Thanks in advance....Ian
Contact an HVAC tech and have them look at your system. If your house had an unfinished basement when it was installed the heat loss calculation and furnace was set up for that purpose and is now not distributing conditioned air appropriately. At the very least they may be able to make a few modifications to help balance out your system.
Hi Ian, +1 for Tim. Call an HVAC company to come and have a look. It actually sounds like the insulation is working well if it is keeping the basement cooler than it was before. Whoever did the Reno for you should have created an air return near the floor to circulate it back into the house and balance the temps. Cold air naturally falls and needs to be mechanically removed.
Good luck with it
Jim Kuzma
Cole Harbour Handyman
Hi Ian
You can use the radiant Infloor heating (electrical or hydronic) or you can add more heat register (low wall) and a return air, as well as upsizing your furnace as much your duct system allows it.
I hope this helps
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