Concrete Floor Edge Insulation

Such spaces typically have a sound level concrete slab floor but lack sufficient floor insulation to achieve the thermal performance targets for new habitable rooms.

Concrete floor edge insulation.

These floor slabs may contain more concrete and steel and the ground underneath the slabs is compacted to a higher density which increases potential heat loss from the slab. Remember that the thermal envelope is the boundary between the inside conditioned space and the outside. Converting existing unheated basements garages and storage areas into habitable rooms is a popular way of increasing living space without constructing an extension. The sides of the concrete slab also referred to as the perimeter wall is often forgotten or not considered at all with respect to the thermal envelope.

The edge of the concrete floor slab is usually uninsulated. Where the heating is likely to be turned on and off such as in new build domestic properties and a faster thermal response is required the floating floor arrangement of insulation above the slab can be more appropriate. Ly 80 of the heat lost from a concrete floor slab is at the edge and that the thermal resistance does not significantly improve by fully extending the insulation under the slab or by increasing the thickness of the insulation under the slab see build 109 pages 28 29. Insulation below the slab suits continuous low level heating gradually warming the thermal mass of the concrete and sustaining it at a consistent temperature.