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SALT LAKE CITY -- While many new homebuyers are focused on comparing square footage, vaulted ceilings or granite countertops, the more green-minded may want to take a closer look at the floor. Energy-efficiency usually takes a back seat to beauty when it comes to choosing between carpet, hardwood or tile flooring.
Flooring material can have a significant impact on heating and cooling costs, however. Depending on the heating or cooling method in the home, floor surfaces can insulate or draw away heat in a room. Porcelain, ceramic, stone and glass tile are good heat conductors, which is why they are favored in homes with radiant heat.
Carpet, vinyl, linoleum or wood are insulators, so they don’t draw heat as readily through convection, reducing the efficiency of a radiant system. Those insulating properties actually make these flooring materials better for less efficient forced-air systems because they prevent heat from being lost through the floor.
Whichever choice is favored by homeowners, proper subfloor insulation can have a significant impact on energy efficiency.
If the floor sits above a crawl-space or garage that is not well-insulated, a significant amount of energy can leak out through the floor. Tiled bathroom floors and concrete kitchen floors are especially vulnerable to heat lost through convection. If the home has a radiant heating subfloor in one of these areas, it may need to work twice as hard to heat the room above. Since local building codes often prohibit certain methods of insulation for crawl-spaces, insulating the floor may be the only option.
There are big incentives in place to encourage energy-consciousness in new construction and renovation. Local utility companies will even offer rebates to customers who weatherize their homes. Questar Gas currently offers customers 20 cents per square foot for floor insulation installed by a contractor. Federal tax credits for insulation improvements to homes are also available to homeowners.
Whether these incentives encourage more homeowners to take a second look at their flooring choices remains to be seen, but with energy demand increasing, such efforts are sure to become more attractive.
Increasing efficency through flooring
- Porcelain, ceramic, stone and glass tile are good heat conductors, which makes them more efficient at transferring the heat from radiant heating systems than carpeted floors.
- Any flooring material that insulates heat (vinyl, linoleum, carpet or wood) will reduce the efficiency of an under-floor heating system.
- Hard flooring materials, like concrete, tile, stone and marble, need to accommodate shrinking and expanding due to cooling and heating, usually requiring expansion joints.
- The way home floors are insulated also has a significant impact on energy efficiency. If the floor sits above a crawl space or garage that is not well-insulated, heat can leak out through the floor. Tiled bathroom floors and concrete kitchen floors are especially vulnerable to heat lost through convection. If you have a radiant heating subfloor in one of these areas, it may need to work twice as hard to heat the room above. Since local building codes often prohibit certain methods of insulation for crawl-spaces, insulating the floor may be the only option.
- Local utility companies do offer rebates to customers who weatherize their homes. Questar Gas currently offers customers 20 cents per square foot for floor insulation installed by a contractor.
