Ask the Contractor

Q: How can I keep rooms with less sun exposure warmer in the winter?

According to Bob Quigley, CR, of Brillo Home Improvements in Milwaukee, the age of the home may help in determining how the walls and ceilings were constructed, what general building materials were used when the structure was built, and what efforts were made to insulate it when it was built.

“Obviously, insulation is a key factor in trying to keep what heat the room is receiving in place,” he said. If the home was a new construction or if this was a remodeling situation where the walls or ceiling were to be opened up, he recommended closed cell insulation.

“In comparison to the more standard fiberglass batt or cellulose materials, closed cell insulation is 65 to 70 percent more efficient, and as much as 95 percent more efficient if the home is older with no or little insulation,” he said. Although closed cell insulation has a somewhat expensive initial application, it offers an immediate payback benefit and better living comfort.

Check if the box sills or the top of the foundation block is insulated properly. Quigley said, “If you have nothing there at all, stop what you’re doing and go buy a bag of insulation. Fill the space, and you’ll feel the difference in five minutes, especially if your favorite sitting chair is on an outside wall.” Again, he said that in this case, the closed cell product is a better insulator, though it may prove to be a more expensive remedy, depending on the amount of square footage needed.

Assuming that forced air is in place, sometimes the existing ductwork may not be balanced right. “If by chance another room is getting too much heat in comparison or just too much heat altogether, you may want to check into having your ductwork air flow rebalanced to favor the cold spot,” he said.

One problem could be an insufficient heat supply system, given the layout and dimensions of your rooms. “Depending on the room’s dimension and type of heat system in place, you may be able to have the area set on a separate heating zone, which could solve the problem,” he said.

“Another common error may be the thermostat. It may be set on a wall in the warmest room,” he said, pointing out that it should not be in the coldest room either.

Having high quality windows is a factor in controlling heat loss through the glass and frames and eliminating drafts. “The same would apply for the doors,” he said. “When older windows and doors are replaced with new, people cannot believe the difference in the added comfort.”

Depending on the home’s floor surface, you can add heat with an electrical floor matt system, which is usually applied with a new tile floor application. He said, “This really only warms the floor, but inevitably through convection, the warmer floor will come into the airspace.”

Even with a forced air system, additional water hydronic baseboard or hydronic in-floor heat can be added. “If adding electrical baseboard heat to supplement is being considered, look at an electric oil hydronic unit, which is typically safer and more comfortable than the more conventional electric baseboard heater,” he said.

Depending on the space and budget, an efficient gas fireplace may also be a good solution. “In addition to being more efficient, the more recent gas fireplace units look more like a natural fireplace than their predecessors,” Quigley said.

Answers to “Ask the Contractor” are provided by members of the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Council Inc. Questions can be addressed to: Ask the Contractor, 11815 W. Dearbourn Ave. P.O. Box 26788, Wauwatosa, WI 53226.