Many Wisconsin homeowners understand the value of insulating your attic, or your home’s exterior walls. Insulation protects your home from outside temperatures, keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Insulating and air sealing your home not only makes your home more comfortable, but it lowers energy bills and prevents unwanted outdoor air pollutants from entering your home as well.
One of the most important but least discussed areas of your home to insulate are the rim joists in your basement. Today, we’re going to explain how insulating your rim joists can make such a difference in your home’s comfort and energy use and why spray foam insulation is the right insulation material for the job.
Rim joists are part of your home’s floor framing. They’re connected to your home’s foundation and run perpendicular to the floor joists. Rim joists and end joists form the sections of your floor frame that are exposed to the outdoors.
Because they run along the edge of your home, on top of your foundation, your rim joists and end joists are the most likely areas in your basement where heat and air will enter and exit. Insulating and air sealing rim joists and end joists offers a layer of protection to keep outdoor temperatures and air out of your home.
Wisconsin basements can be damp and sources of indoor moisture, which can damage and weaken the performance of many insulation materials. But closed cell spray foam insulation has a few benefits that other insulation types like fiberglass and cellulose lack:
These unique qualities make spray foam a long-lasting and effective choice for insulating the rim joists in your basement.
Wisconsin Home Improvement is an insulation contractor near you serving the greater Milwaukee area with superior spray insulation services. Starting with our home performance audit (sometimes known as an energy audit), we can determine the state of your home’s existing insulation (or lack thereof) and check for air leaks to help us recommend the home improvement services that will make an actual difference!