In episode 69 of the series, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver is once again On the Job insulating and finishing a basement in the northeast – and introducing a brand new insulation product: ThermalDry Insulated Floor Decking.
ThermalDry Floor Decking was specifically designed to provide a safe, healthy and energy efficient alternative to plywood decking in the basement – one that will efficiently serve as subfloor for different types of basement flooring, but when in contact with water and moisture will not grow mold or rot like wooden subfloors.
It has a 1–inch thick SilverGlo insulated back and a magnesium oxide board on top, serving as underlayment for the flooring. Unlike plywood decking – which absorbs moisture from the slab and is known to grow mold and rot – ThermalDry Floor Decking is impervious to water and 100% made with inorganic materials which do not support mold growth.
The concrete floor of a basement is always an average of 10 to 15 degrees colder than the temperatures in the basement. While that might not sound like a substantial difference, the average basement floor constitutes a large enough surface to cause great heat loss, significantly increasing a home’s heating load.
Since the typical basement also houses heating appliances, it is in the homeowner’s best interest to establish the basement floor, not the basement ceiling, as a thermal boundary – even if the basement isn’t being finished right away. By insulating the basement floor, you include the basement as a conditioned space into the building envelope, conserving the heat from appliances, making the basement itself much more comfortable and the entire house more energy efficient.
At Dr. Energy Saver, we are always researching and developing ways to make your home more comfortable and lower the cost of home ownership by lowering energy bills. Check out the other On the Job videos for more ideas and tips and subscribe to our channel for the latest updates!
