Hello everyone,
We are planning a basement for our new house, which will be used as a utility basement. The technical room (including the heat pump and mechanical ventilation system, etc.) will be located in the basement. The other rooms are intended for storage, a workshop, and storage areas. Actual living use is not planned; however, I can imagine that our children might later use the space for hobbies (music, party room, foosball, etc.) if the climate there is reasonably comfortable. Also, it should not be freezing cold when working in the workshop during winter.
What about ventilation? I have planned a few basement rooms without light wells and was considering possibly connecting them to the mechanical ventilation system if the humidity gets too high.
Now I wonder, how are utility basements commonly insulated nowadays and what effects does each approach have?
- No exterior insulation at all and only insulating the basement ceiling/stairwell? Is it then acceptable for the heat pump and mechanical ventilation system to be installed in the basement? Can the basement be connected to the mechanical ventilation system, or would that completely negate the heat recovery?
- Exterior insulation but no separate heating in the basement?
- Exterior insulation and underfloor heating in the basement?
What temperatures and humidity levels can be expected with the different options? I would be very interested in your practical experience.
We are planning a basement for our new house, which will be used as a utility basement. The technical room (including the heat pump and mechanical ventilation system, etc.) will be located in the basement. The other rooms are intended for storage, a workshop, and storage areas. Actual living use is not planned; however, I can imagine that our children might later use the space for hobbies (music, party room, foosball, etc.) if the climate there is reasonably comfortable. Also, it should not be freezing cold when working in the workshop during winter.
What about ventilation? I have planned a few basement rooms without light wells and was considering possibly connecting them to the mechanical ventilation system if the humidity gets too high.
Now I wonder, how are utility basements commonly insulated nowadays and what effects does each approach have?
- No exterior insulation at all and only insulating the basement ceiling/stairwell? Is it then acceptable for the heat pump and mechanical ventilation system to be installed in the basement? Can the basement be connected to the mechanical ventilation system, or would that completely negate the heat recovery?
- Exterior insulation but no separate heating in the basement?
- Exterior insulation and underfloor heating in the basement?
What temperatures and humidity levels can be expected with the different options? I would be very interested in your practical experience.
L
ludwig88sta7 Jan 2020 10:46A few weeks ago, I was wondering about the same thing:
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/selten-tlw-bewohnter-Keller-in-therm-huelle-oder-nicht.33210/
In the end, we will include the basement within the thermal envelope. This simply offers more flexibility in 10–20 years if you want to create additional "living space" in the basement. The insulated basement will stabilize at around 18°C (+/- 0.5°C) (64°F (±1°F)). It’s also recommended to install underfloor heating in the basement, and you can adjust the heating circuits accordingly.
I also read here on the house building forum or elsewhere that, according to the current energy-saving regulations, basements should now always be included within the thermal envelope?
It always depends on the temperature difference between the adjacent rooms. Since the basement is about 18°C (64°F) and the adjacent hallway on the ground floor is around 20–21°C (68–70°F), the temperature difference is not that big, so I don’t think it makes much of a difference.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/selten-tlw-bewohnter-Keller-in-therm-huelle-oder-nicht.33210/
In the end, we will include the basement within the thermal envelope. This simply offers more flexibility in 10–20 years if you want to create additional "living space" in the basement. The insulated basement will stabilize at around 18°C (+/- 0.5°C) (64°F (±1°F)). It’s also recommended to install underfloor heating in the basement, and you can adjust the heating circuits accordingly.
I also read here on the house building forum or elsewhere that, according to the current energy-saving regulations, basements should now always be included within the thermal envelope?
Grobmutant schrieb:
Of course, the underfloor heating can be turned off, but if the basement is included in the thermal envelope, I would be continuously heating it along with the ground floor. That wouldn’t be very efficient.
It always depends on the temperature difference between the adjacent rooms. Since the basement is about 18°C (64°F) and the adjacent hallway on the ground floor is around 20–21°C (68–70°F), the temperature difference is not that big, so I don’t think it makes much of a difference.
G
Grobmutant21 Jan 2020 18:47Hmm, do you still remember exactly where you read that? I’m not quite seeing the reason why that would be better for the energy saving regulations.
We recently had a conversation with an energy consultant, who would also include the basement within the thermal envelope. However, I didn’t find the explanation very convincing. That would mean heating a much larger volume and possibly even installing underfloor heating in the basement.
Our architect would rather insulate the basement only on the side facing the ground floor.
Now I’m completely confused about what would be best for us.
We recently had a conversation with an energy consultant, who would also include the basement within the thermal envelope. However, I didn’t find the explanation very convincing. That would mean heating a much larger volume and possibly even installing underfloor heating in the basement.
Our architect would rather insulate the basement only on the side facing the ground floor.
Now I’m completely confused about what would be best for us.
L
ludwig88sta22 Jan 2020 09:28The main advantage of having the basement within the thermal envelope is simply that you gain more flexibility in a few years. It would be easier to convert a room into a living-quality space compared to a situation where the entire basement is outside the thermal envelope and only the floor of the ground floor is insulated underneath. Additionally, I would connect the basement to the central ventilation system, and if the basement is significantly colder (because it is outside the thermal envelope), this would be energetically impractical.
*Disadvantage of the basement inside the thermal envelope: you don’t have a cool storage room...
*Disadvantage of the basement inside the thermal envelope: you don’t have a cool storage room...
HalloClarissa5 Feb 2023 16:55Grobmutant schrieb:
Hello everyone,
We are planning a basement for our new build, intended mainly for utility purposes. The technical room (including heat pump and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system, etc.) will be located in the basement. The other rooms are planned for storage, workshop, and general storage areas. Living space is not really intended, but I could imagine our children using the space later on for hobbies (music, party room, foosball, etc.) if the climate is reasonably comfortable. Also, in the workshop, it shouldn’t be freezing during winter while working.
What about ventilation? I have planned some basement rooms without light wells and was considering connecting them to the mechanical ventilation system if humidity becomes an issue.
Now I am wondering how utility basements are typically insulated nowadays and what effects each approach has:
- No external insulation at all, only insulating the basement ceiling/stairwell? Would the heat pump and mechanical ventilation system then be allowed in the basement? Could the basement be connected to the mechanical ventilation, or would that make heat recovery pointless?
- External insulation but no dedicated heating in the basement?
- External insulation plus underfloor heating in the basement?
What temperatures and humidity levels can be expected for each of these options? I’d be interested in your practical experiences. Hello Grobmutant,
May I ask, two years later, which option you chose and why, and… whether it turned out to be the right decision?
M
Marvinius5 Feb 2023 19:19HalloClarissa schrieb:
Hello Grobmutant,
May I ask, two years later, which option you chose and why, and… whether it has proven to be the right decision? I’m not exactly the right person to answer, but we fully insulated our basement and installed underfloor heating. I would definitely do it the same way again. Everything else seems rather impractical to me.
HalloClarissa5 Feb 2023 22:00Marvinius schrieb:
I'm probably not the best person to ask, but we fully insulated our basement and installed underfloor heating. I would definitely do it that way again. Everything else seems rather pointless to me. We are building a small age-friendly house. The basement was not originally planned and is only included due to the sloping site. It will actually be a utility basement, so we don’t want to spend unnecessary money on it.
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