DIY rim joist project – before and after energy bills

[Lars Eriksen]

Wanted to share a data point for anyone considering DIY rim joist insulation. Did my entire basement rim joist last October with about 3 inches of closed cell foam. Here are results after one heating season.

[Carlos Ybarra]

What were the actual numbers? Definitely curious about the before and after.

[Lars Eriksen]

Before: averaging $285 per month for heat in Minnesota. After: averaging $198 per month. That is about $87 per month savings. Project cost me about $380 in foam kits. Paid back in 4.5 months.

[Dave Kowalski]

Those are impressive numbers! I just finished my crawl space project and am hoping for similar results this winter.

[Terry Fong]

Rim joists are hugely underrated. Such a simple high-ROI project. Great work sharing the real data.

[Lars Eriksen]

Totally agree. And the drafts are completely gone. The basement went from noticeably cold to almost comfortable just from air sealing the rim joists.

[Author]

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