Basements are one of the trickiest spots in the home to keep warm because they tend to have less insulation and are simply just the bottom of the home—warm air rises and cold air falls, leaving your basement consistently cold. But, there are a few great tricks to try when your basement gets too cold for comfort and your HVAC in Minneapolis isn’t working as well as it should:

Insulation

One of the most important things for keeping a warm room or basement is to make sure that you have the proper insulation throughout your home. There are a variety of different insulation options available including blanket or foam board insulation for an unfinished basement, and loose-fill or spray foam products for a finished basement. If you are still concerned about what type of insulation you should use for your home, see the R-Value Recommendations from the US Department of Energy. R-Values measure the thermal performance of insulation products.

Furnace Fan “On”

Another easy way to make your home just a little warmer is to leave the furnace fan in “on” mode, which can move the air through your home, forcing cold air up and warm air down—opposite of what they want to do as cold air is heavier than warm air.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are another great way to move air throughout the house and force air down—especially if the fan is in the stairwell area. This is an energy efficient way of moving air throughout the home and is also extremely quiet compared to some of the other options.

Use Space Heating

Another option, though more expensive in the long run, is to use a space heater. They can quickly warm up a space, but are extremely risky for fires—they even account for one-third of all heating-related house fires. If you do decide this is the best option for your household, be sure to keep your space heater away from any flammable material or any material at all. Things can quickly melt or alight when they are near a very hot space heater. It can also be extremely dangerous to leave space heaters on overnight or if you leave the home as it poses a risk for fires and even death.

Seal All Doors and Windows

Another extremely important thing to do to keep your basement warm is to make sure that all of the doors and windows are sealed. This can cause a lot of problems for your home as warm air is more likely to leak out and cold air to leak in. You’ll want to make sure and seal off any frames or doorways that may seem just a bit colder than normal.

Sunlight during the Day

 

One way to keep your home warm during the day is to keep windows where the sun shines through open. This will keep solar heat coming in through the windows and can keep your room just a little warmer.

Keeping Doors Closed

Lastly, another option to keeping your basement warm is to keep any doors closed to rooms that aren’t being used. If you keep certain doors closed, there’s more warm air to circulate in the rooms that are opened, including your basement.