More insulation or more BTU's?

stefanc · 11-08-11, 05:47 PM

Moving this discussion over here so I don't clutter up the KWH thread

My house is 2 stories,about 1800SF, 1/2 on a finished basement and 1/2 on slab. 2x4 construction with R13 batts and 1" of some sort of foam board from the 70's under newer siding. Attic has 8" blown in fiberglass and I added R19 to that (almost R40 total). Ceiilng above finished basement is insulated from the first floor via R13 batts

. Newer double pane windows throughout. Front door and garage entry door are steel insulated. Rear slider to 3-season room is a nice Pella.

All heat is currently electric re$istance baseboard, no ducts, no access to NG

.

I also have two small children so controlling hvac in bedrooms is important to us.

Basement doesn't need any additional heating but I will probably pull the panelling and put up a couple inches of foam on the walls before re-rocking; also I'll likely add 1" to the floor while I'm at it.

No plans on pulling the siding because it's in really good shape and don't want to add foam to living space, that would make our small rooms even smaller.

So that's about it, I'm open to suggestions on either insulation or heating systems.

Right now I'm leaning toward 8.2 HSPF Multi-splits. I had a 4x9kbtu grunaire in my last house and we were really happy with it. But for this house we would want 5 indoor units (3 for bedrooms, 2 downstairs), with 2 outdoor units.

Thanks!

11-08-11, 05:47 PM	#1
stefanc Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 33 Thanks: 9 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	More insulation or more BTU's? Moving this discussion over here so I don't clutter up the KWH thread My house is 2 stories,about 1800SF, 1/2 on a finished basement and 1/2 on slab. 2x4 construction with R13 batts and 1" of some sort of foam board from the 70's under newer siding. Attic has 8" blown in fiberglass and I added R19 to that (almost R40 total). Ceiilng above finished basement is insulated from the first floor via R13 batts . Newer double pane windows throughout. Front door and garage entry door are steel insulated. Rear slider to 3-season room is a nice Pella. All heat is currently electric re$istance baseboard, no ducts, no access to NG . I also have two small children so controlling hvac in bedrooms is important to us. Basement doesn't need any additional heating but I will probably pull the panelling and put up a couple inches of foam on the walls before re-rocking; also I'll likely add 1" to the floor while I'm at it. No plans on pulling the siding because it's in really good shape and don't want to add foam to living space, that would make our small rooms even smaller. So that's about it, I'm open to suggestions on either insulation or heating systems. Right now I'm leaning toward 8.2 HSPF Multi-splits. I had a 4x9kbtu grunaire in my last house and we were really happy with it. But for this house we would want 5 indoor units (3 for bedrooms, 2 downstairs), with 2 outdoor units. Thanks!