House is about 50 years old. 2400 sq feet. Cold floors are in second story general living space hard wood flooring and lineoleum. Second story rooms are over unheated areas in mostly finished basement some area is over inclosed carport and an addition 1987 of a sunroom off the living room which is over the great outdoors. We are retired so not using lower level nor wanting to heat Open plan so one very cold area draws heat from other areas. Lots of glass over which we now have window coverings for heat loss.
Underneath, much of this area in the finished basement is T bar ceiling. There is the pink insulation which doesn't appear to be effective re heat loss.
Had energy experts in over the years and they basically said get more heat sources. Hate to be pumping more heat to Greater Vancouver.
They said the cost to do anything would not be cost effective or make that much difference. We looked at blowing insulation into the roof of carport area but it is not T Bar. It is plaster so backed off from that.idea.
Looked at putting electrical heating from underneath but my husband said impossible with pipes and electrical in place. Way to expensive and complicated.
Just wondering if there was anything new that might be doable or cost effective.
I have developed a severe foot circulation problem and needing to somehow keep my feet warm.
Hi Darilyn, you have a tough situation. The only way to keep the heat in your home is to ensure that your living space is surrounded by insulation, in other words you have to create an "envelope" around the spaces you are using. Once you do that, the existing heat sources should be able to keep up. You are feeling the effects of not having enough insulation in the right places.
If you have a finished basement, that is actually part of your living space. You can't just abandon it and turn off the heat as that will create a whole bunch of other problems that can get really expensive - moisture and mould are not cheap things to deal with once they become established. I would open the vents or turn on the heat down there to make sure you are creating some air flow and at least getting rid of any humidity. This will also help to warm some of the floors and your feet!
If you can't or don't want to insulate then I am afraid that the other energy experts are right - you need more heat sources or turn up what you have.
Good Luck with it!
Jim Kuzma
Kettleby Handyman Services
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