Marlton, NJ -- (SBWire) -- 12/23/2013 --Basements are often the last place of one's home which undergo repairs and upgrades. The main reason for that is that they are often the least visited rooms of a house, usually used for storing items that are no longer needed, or such items that are only needed a few times throughout the year.
Reducing Bills
However, waterproofing a basement could lead to a significant reduction in electricity bills. High humidity levels in the basement increase electricity bills between 15%-25%. This is mainly because more energy is required to heat up water, rather than air, to a certain temperature. Another factor is the staleness of the air, which becomes an obstacle to proper air ventilation in the rooms.
Water Can Get In
Water can get in the basement through cracks in the walls, small holes in the windows, bad packing/gasket, or from vaporization of liquids put in containers without a cover over them. When water gets inside the basement, it will eventually evaporate, increasing the air humidity. Besides increasing electricity bills, humidity in the basement will slowly begin to cause problems with the building, like damaging wood beams, causing metal to rust, and letting mold develop in the basement, which is both unpleasant to the eye, and very dangerous for people with allergies.
Results Of Water Getting In
A humid and cold basement will result in a colder floor of rooms that are directly over it. Even though it might look insignificant, it is important that one preserves warm temperatures in the basement to pay less for heating up the ground floor. Because warmer air goes up, colder air stays down at the low levels of the room. So on one side there's the basement that is causing the floors to be colder and the natural ascension of heat towards the ceiling of the room. This is usually what makes people turn the thermostat up a few gears.
Controlling Temperatures
The higher the temperature of the basement, the higher the temperature of the floors of the rooms just over it, which will cause a smaller temperature difference between the lower levels of the rooms and the higher levels of the room.
In the summer, it will take much more energy to cool water than it will to cool air. The reason why water requires more energy to have its temperature changed is its density. Because it is more dense than air, it is harder to both cool and heat up.
Fixing The Issue
The basement might look like the room in a home that is rarely used for anything but storage, but it can certainly contribute to lower electricity bills both in the summer and the winter. It is a worthwhile long-term investment, besides increasing the value of the house if it is eventually to be sold.
Call The Professionals
About Select Basement Waterproofing
Select Basement Waterproofing is “Proud to be recognized as the industry’s leader in customer satisfaction for residential waterproofing, basement finishing and foundation repair. Select is a family owned business with over 40 employees, which provides top notch services to home owners throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware. And all work is performed and supervised by Mike Klukiewski, the Founder of Select Basement Waterproofing, inc www.selectwaterproofingusa.com
Waterproofing Basements Contributes to 20% Reduction in Electricity Bills
High humidity levels in the basement increase electricity bills between 15%-25%