You might think having a basement means you'll need a lot of heat. But if you're planning on spending any time down there, you should probably consider installing radiant flooring. Radiant flooring heats up faster and stays warmer longer than traditional hardwood flooring. And because it's installed directly under the concrete slab, it eliminates the cold spots that can occur when you install wood flooring above a concrete foundation.
Combine that with the fact that you may not be able to afford to remodel your basement
If you're building a new house, HVAC systems for each floor must be included in the overall plan. However, if you're remodeling an unfinished basement, closed walls and ceilings may limit your ability to run ducts and wires.
Retrofitting a new furnace into an existing house won't look as good as putting in a brand-new one. And they're not as straightforward or inexpensive either. But if you don't install a furnace now, you'll never get a chance to enjoy its benefits.
The best option: continue heating and cooling your house.
If you don't have an unusual climate, your house already has an internal heating and cooling system. Therefore, it makes sense to use them for the unfinished basement area.
If you're going to extend the ducting, consult an HVAC professional first. They can calculate the heat load and sizing of the ducts for you.
If you're planning to install a new furnace for your house right now but don't plan to finish off the unfinished part of the house anytime soon, you might want to go with a larger unit than necessary for the size of your current living quarters. You could run into trouble later when you decide to remodel the room. Ask an HVAC expert before making any decisions.
Even if you can't add extra insulation, your HVAC systems might be able to handle an increase in space to heat.
One drawback: if you upgrade your entire heater, the upgrades will affect the whole home. For example, turning up the temperature in your newly refitted basement will also warm the rest of the house.
- Best for keeping home values up
- Invisible: Uses existing ductwork
- Efficient energy source
- It may require some new or improved system
- Open walls may need some remodeling.
- It's harder to separate the heating zone
Hardwired Baseboard Heaters
Many homeowners use a convector or hydronic electric baseboard heater for their basements because they're hardwired into an existing electrical system.
Electric baseboards heat the room by heating the air inside the room. They don't require running the whole wall length, but they must be installed in specific locations.
Baseboards require planning for how much heating they provide. They usually don't provide enough heating to warm up an entire house unless multiple baseboards are installed in each bedroom.
Even though baseboard heaters aren't aesthetically pleasing, they're fine in basements because they don't affect the house's appearance.
Installing electric baseboards is not as easy as screwin' em into the baseboard and connecting them to an ordinary outlet. The bigger, 96-inch ones draw enough power to need a 20 ampere, 240-volt circuit. These heat units must be hardwired into the supply system rather than connected to the outlets. Consult an electrician before doing any work.
Baseboard heat systems allow you to control the temperature in specific rooms using individual thermostat controls or turning them off when not needed.
- Heat where you need it
- Flexible
- No external venting
- It uses lots of energy
- It takes up wall space
Wood Pellet Stove
Wood pellet stoves use wood pellets to heat the room. They use a small electric motor to push out warm air through a small vent.
A cleaner and greener option than using a traditional fireplace is installing pellet stoves. Pellets heat up faster than logs and burn cleanly, so they're a better choice for people who want to save some cash while reducing their carbon footprint.
Recycled pellets don't need an expensive gas furnace to operate. They need a 110 V plug-in outlet to power their fan.
Baseboard heaters don't emit dangerous gases; they're safe for use inside your house. Pellet stove owners must vent their stoves directly out the window because they emit carbon monoxide.
Regarding design, wooden pellet stoves may not be suitable for contemporary or modern homes. Even the simplest models of wooden pellets stoves give off an old-fashioned or traditional look.
- 240V Electricity not required
- Uses clean-burning wood pellets, not firewood.
- It uses recycled materials to create the pellets
- It must be refueled frequently.
- Generate CO2 (a greenhouse gas) by burning wood or charcoal; it must be
Electric Space Heaters
They're cheap, easy to use, and don't require any special skills or training to operate.
Flat-panel heaters are the cheapest and least efficient type of heater. They're installed on walls like a flat-screen television and slowly heat the room. Portable radiator heaters are the next most affordable option. Their metalcore retains heat even when the heating elements turn off.
- Inexpensive
- Portable
- It doesn't require any installations. Just plug it in.
- Inefficient energy-wise
- Take up floor space
- Cords in the way
Read more: Best Heater for Basement
Combination of Heat Sources
If your heating system cannot provide enough heat throughout the house, you may temporarily need to shut off the upstairs registers yourself.
You might have a drip of warmth trickling down from the upstairs furnace registers. Don't underestimate the value of this small amount of heat. It is possible to keep the furnace running long enough to warm up the whole house using the power drawn from the electric baseboards. In addition, combining the stove with the baseboards can provide enough warmth for your entire home.
They might buy without having an active heating/cooling unit in the basement if you provide enough wall insulation, suitable flooring, and underlayment.
