Many people have taken a look at their home energy bills and taken steps to spend less and save more. Energy efficient windows, programmable thermostats, and energy star appliance purchases are just a few of many ways that you can save on your monthly bills. However, one area of the home that is often overlooked is the uninsulated crawl space. If you have a crawl space, take a closer look down there. When you look at it from an energy efficiency and cost saving perspective, what you find will probably shock and disappoint you. On the other hand, improving your crawl space represents an opportunity to cut your home heating bills significantly, if you live in an area with cool to cold winters.

If your crawl space is a typical one, you probably have uninsulated metal ducts and little or no insulation on the walls and underside of the floor, the ceiling of the crawl space, if you will. Correcting each of the problems will dramatically improve the ability of your house to retain or deliver heat to where it is needed mostÖ your living areas.

Central heating systems are quite practical, but compared to space heating, they are inefficient. Most of the inefficiency comes from the duct work. Duct systems that have little or no insulation are common. If you have duct work in your crawl space, it is important that it be as efficient as possible. This means that the ducts should be well sealed so that warm or cool air traveling through them doesn't leak out into the crawl space. Inspect your duct work to insure that there are no major leaks. Seal the duct joints with special duct tape (not the common grey stuff) and a sealing compound called mastic. If you have questions about what supplies you need, talk to someone at your local home improvement center. They should be able to steer you in the right direction. Once sealed, it's time to insulate the duct work. Take trip down to your local home improvement center and find the most effective duct insulation that you can find. This will probably be either R6 or R8. The higher the R number, the better the insulation. Install the insulation according to the instructions and you should have a dramatically improved duct system. This alone could reduce your heating bills by up to 40%! Insulating your duct work is probably the easiest and most cost effective step you can take towards improving you crawl spaces' energy efficiency.

Once you've corrected any deficiencies with the duct work, it's time to focus your attention on the ceiling of the crawl space. If there is no insulation there, then your home is probably losing a lot of heat through the floor and into the crawl space during the winter. By insulating the ceiling of the crawl space, you will make your home's living areas more comfortable while cutting your heating costs at the same time. Remember, an energy efficient home is a comfortable home. When installing insulation under the floor above the crawl space, you want to be aware of a few things. First, you want to aim for a total R value of around 20. The thickness of insulation required to achieve this level of insulation depends on the exact type of insulation that you install. Keep this in mind when examining the underside of the floor. Make note of how deep the floor beams are. This is the maximum thickness that you will be able to work with and will constrain, possibly, the types of insulating material you can work with. Materials are rated by R value per inch, so if you have 8 inches to work with, you will need a material that is rated at R2.5/in or better, if you want to achieve a floor R value of 20. When installing the insulation, ensure that the vapor barrier is in contact with the floor boards. Make sure that the barrier is not punctured by nails or staple. If you have questions, consult a knowledgeable professional.

Finally, take a look at the exterior walls of the crawl space. Are they insulated? If not, you can improve them by adding insulation. Aim for a final R value of about R10-15.

Taking these steps can prevent your crawl space from being an energy sink while improving the comfort of your home. In addition, your monthly energy bills will be smaller and you will be somewhat insulated from rising energy costs and price shocks, which will give you more peace of mind and more cash in your wallet!