Insulate the floor, from below if you have a cellar
A floor above a cellar or crawl space can be insulated from underneath without touching the room; a floor on the ground has to be broken out, so combine it with other floor works.
Do it yourself
Sources checked on .
How you insulate a floor depends on what is underneath. Above a cellar or crawl space, boards are fixed to the underside of the floor and you don't need to break anything open. A floor laid directly on the ground is harder: the covering, screed and subfloor have to come out first, so it is best done when the floor is being replaced anyway.
Insulating on top of an existing floor is possible but works less well. It needs pressure-resistant boards, raises the floor level, and doors or windows may need adjusting.
Solve any damp problem before you start. As a guide, the Flemish government considers about 5 cm of sprayed PUR/PIR or 7 cm of mineral wool good practice today; to meet the 2050 target above a cellar, aim for about 7 cm of PUR/PIR or 10 cm of mineral wool.
Details
| Impact | Not rated · The cited sources don't give a size for this saving, so we don't guess. How we rate impact |
|---|---|
| Estimated saving | Not quantified on the source page; the gain depends on the floor and the space beneath it. (confidence: low) |
| Who acts | You (owner) |
| Needs landlord's agreement | No |
| Type | Action |
| Constant or subject to change | Constant · Good practice that barely changes with new laws, prices or services. |
Do this together with
Sources
- Vloerisolatie (in Dutch) · Woningpas (Vlaamse overheid) (official source) · checked on