Floor and bottom insulation

Floor or bottom insulation

The benefits of floor insulation

Floor insulation is a smart measure for homes on the ground floor. With good floor insulation you can save a lot of gas. The average saving is 6m3 gas per year per square meter of insulated floor. Moreover, you are less likely to suffer from cold feet, which gives a pleasant feeling.

Installing floor insulation does not require major renovation. The contractor is almost always ready in one day.

Materials

Almost all houses in Duinoord have a wooden floor with a crawl space underneath. If the room is accessible and has sufficient height (more than 40 cm under the joists), the floor can be insulated at the bottom. We know from experience that this is best done with:

reflective foil
thermal pads
mineral blankets.

The company selected by you will advise you what is sensible in your situation.

No insulating foam

We do not recommend the use of insulating foam against the beams and floorboards. The wood can then no longer breathe, which increases the risk of wood rot and mold formation. Access to pipes is often no longer possible. And it is quite a job to remove the insulation foam. In addition, improper application can release gases that are unhealthy. This form of floor insulation is therefore not part of this promotion.

Tip!

Have the central heating pipes insulated under the floor.

Soil insulation as an alternative

If the crawl space is too low or too wet, you can also insulate the bottom of the crawl space itself instead of the bottom of the floor. With floor insulation, insulation material is applied to the floor of the crawl space, for example EPS floor beads or insulation blankets.

This form of insulation helps against moisture problems, but has a lower insulation value than floor insulation against the underside of the floor.

Insulation value

The insulation value of a measure is expressed in an R-value (the R stands for 'Resistance'). The higher this value, the better the material insulates.

According to the subsidy conditions of the RVO, floor or soil insulation must have an R-value of 3.5 or higher. This means you also meet the standard that applies in the Netherlands for a well-insulated house. So you prepare your home for a gas-free future! The materials used by the participating companies meet these conditions.

Costs and savings

The costs of floor insulation are between € 43.50 and € 55 per m2, depending on the material and the situation under the floor.
On floor insulation you receive € 5.50 per m2 subsidy from the RVO. That amount doubles if you take 2 measures.
For an average house in Duinoord with a living room of 50 m2, this means a one-off investment of € 2000 - € 2500.
In the average house, floor insulation results in gas savings of 300 m3 per year. With the current prices of the energy ceiling, this is a saving of € 435 per year. That would yield a payback period of 5 to 8 years.
Read an explanation of the calculation example here.