Tip if the week: Vented dirt crawl spaces are super energy wasters!

We’ve talked a good bit recently about crawl spaces and the vented vs. sealed debate, so let’s take that a step further… What about how your crawl space affects energy waste in your home. Waste? Yes, waste…which also means wasted money as well. Let’s take a look.

If you have a vented crawl space, a dirt floor crawl space, or a vented AND dirt crawl space, you have been paying higher energy bills than necessary for years.

Ouch.

This is because in the winter the vents let cold/freezing air in- cooling your floors and ducts- a major problem.

In the summer, the vents let hot, humid air in, which warms your air conditioning ducts. Even worse, the moist, warm air enters it condenses on crawl space surfaces, adding moisture to your home. This causes mold, rot, odors, and more load on your air conditioning system, since damp air takes more electricity to cool.

Crawl spaces are easy to ignore since you never go down there. But, studies show, fixing them can save up to 20% in heating and cooling cost.

The steps to fix a vented dirt crawl space are:

1. Fix any groundwater problem- with an interior drainage system and a “SmartSump” designed just for crawl spaces
2. Isolate the house from the earth- with the CleanSpace Encapsulation System. Like a heavy pool liner, it seals up all the walls, and across the floor.
3. Seal all outside air leaks- including vents! Keep unconditioned outside air out! This does wonders for the overall air leakage rate of your house.
4. Dehumidify. Not just any machine will do. A SaniDry CSB Crawl Space Air System is a high-performance machine perfect for the application. Mold doesn’t stand a chance!

Click here to read more about crawl space encapsulation. 

Excerpt from Saving Energy and $ at Home; What to Have Done...and Why by Larry Janesky, Tom Casey, Tim Snyder