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Environmentally friendly basement designs

More than ever before, home owners are now looking out for options to design their home spaces in an eco friendly manner. Use of sustainable products, bringing down energy costs and designing healthy spaces for comfort has become a priority. Every family has different expectations from different spaces in the house and here we are to particularly talk about how to design your basement as a green extension to the house. Basements are one such part of the house that has special needs being stationed under the ground. Having proper access, controlling moisture and temperature along with accessorising it with green products is the need of the hour and thankfully , there are plenty of product options that you can easily avail from the market. Given after the break are some considerations that will help you make right choices for designing your basement.

Environmentally friendly basement designs

Before we go ahead and describe the green product options for the basement, it is essential that we describe its special requirements :

Moisture prevention

Basements are poorly ventilated and mostly notoriously damp and also cooler. Generally, if porous concrete is used it will absorb huge amounts of moisture, creating a good setting for the breeding o mildew and molds. Therefore, whatever products you chose, it is imperative for them to resist such obstacles.

Energy Efficiency

Basements are below the grade and the ground provides natural insulation to some extent, which generally other spaces in the house lack. Further insulating walls, ceilings and foundations, windows with vinyl frames, etc will keep all the cold outside and reduce heat loss, making it more energy efficient.

Insulating your plumbing and re route it away from outside to ensure lesser heat is lost and also lesser energy is consumed by the water heating system.

Lights too play an important role while decorating the interiors and one can use florescent light bulbs that will save at least 75 percent of the energy otherwise to be consumed by conventional lighting systems and will also lost 10 times better than incandescent bulbs.

Healthy Living Space

Addressing issues like moisture control, poor ventilation, etc. one has to ensure that the living spaces are healthier and safe. Avoid use of wallpapers and carpets as they have a good tendency to absorb moisture and also dust, encouraging the growth of mold, etc. for greater caution. Also make use of low VOC paints for the walls to have a non toxic environment.

Specially equipped basement products:

Insulated basement walls and floors

The Department of Energy, USA, claims that insulating walls and floors in the basement will save you anywhere between $250 to $ 400 per year, depending on the size of the basement. Use cost effective wall panels that will reflect maximum amount of heat, there are many products available in the market that can reflect up to almost 99 percent of the heat.

As far as the floor is concerned, make sure it is designed to include some airspace underneath to keep the flooring also insulated. This is expected to keep the floor warmer in comparison to concrete flooring.

Energy efficient basement windows

Traditionally, basement windows comprise of single panelled glass framed windows in wood or steel, this is approximated to account for 50 percent of the heat in the house. These can be replaced with twin lawyer of thermopane glass that will allow optimal use of natural sunlight, while preserving all the necessary heat inside the house.

Energy Star rated basement dehumidifiers

Installing dehumidifiers can instantly save you money. They keep the air dryer, preventing dust mites, mold growth, while ensuing there is no dampness anywhere. Also some varieties of dehumidifiers are installed with a self draining system with special air filters that will absorb all orders from the air inside.

Conclusion

When giving finishing touches to your basement, it is important to design the space to meet the requirements of all the inhabitants of the house. Healthy environment, good insulation, energy efficiency and cost effectiveness are common concerns of all people living in the house. No matter if it’s in the under part of the house, your basement still reflects the choice of your lifestyle and therefore, if you transform it the green way, people around would clearly know about you eco conscious living.

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