Ever wonder why your floors feel cold even with decent attic insulation? The culprit is probably your rim joists — those horizontal boards around your foundation that nobody thinks to insulate.
Rim joists create a thermal bridge between your basement and first floor. Without proper insulation, you're losing 15-20% of your heating and cooling energy through this gap. In Northeast Arkansas, that translates to $200-400 extra on your annual energy bills.
Here's how to check: go to your basement and look up at the perimeter where the floor joists meet the foundation wall. If you see bare wood or old fiberglass batts that have fallen down, you've found your problem.
Spray foam is the gold standard for rim joist insulation. Two inches of closed-cell foam (R-13) creates an air seal and vapor barrier in one shot. Open-cell foam works too but needs a separate vapor barrier in our climate zone 3A.
DIYers often try stuffing fiberglass batts up there, but they compress over time and don't stop air leaks. Rigid foam boards work if you seal every edge with caulk, but it's tedious.
With summer heat building in Jonesboro, now's the perfect time to tackle rim joists before your AC starts working overtime. The payback period is typically 3-5 years.
Reply or DM us for a free estimate on rim joist insulation — we'll show you exactly where you're losing energy.