Green Building Initiative: Conditioned Crawl Spaces
Since our inception in the mid-1990s Woodlands has been pushing the envelope and including green building practices on every project. Wrapped in the final package of a finished house, these features are easy to miss and so in this ongoing series we will shine a spotlight on practices that we all can do to make our living spaces more healthy and efficient.
Conditioned crawl spaces refer to a sealed, insulated, and vented area under a building. This might look like a regular crawl space at first glance, but with insulation protecting the walls from the ground up to the floor boards, and a thick layer of insulation under the house, they are sealed from the elements so they never get damp or bug-ridden. In addition, the HVAC system circulates a small amount of heated or cooled air into the crawl space and the vents allow airflow that prevents mold, rot, and stale air.
In houses without a conditioned crawl space, a significant percentage of the air in the living space moves up through the floors from the basement/crawl space, bringing with it the damp air and mold from that space. This lowers the overall air quality in the home, increases heating costs, and gives us feet cold all winter!
Conditioned crawl spaces solve all these issues. These spaces significantly improve air quality in the upstairs, reduce heating and cooling costs, and mitigate mold and rot issues common in our damp local climate. More efficient heating and cooling, healthier air, and less deterioration of the house’s structure mean fewer resources are needed to maintain the house and the structure will survive longer.
Conditioned crawl spaces are an investment in the health of our communities, residents, and environment!
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