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PerspectivePure2169 t1_ixbi8dn wrote

You do not want batts in the floor joists overhead. It's difficult, they don't stay put, and a comparison of the surface areas of floor vs perimeter foundation wall is illuminating here.

It will require 3-10x MORE insulation to do the floor than it will to do the foundation. For all that extra effort and expense, what do you get? You will have insulated the boundary with the SMALLER temperature difference (crawl-interior) rather than the larger one (crawl-exterior).

Since heat loss is proportional to temperature difference, that means you have spent more and worked harder to achieve a less effective insulation job.

The way to do it is to encapsulate the crawl with plastic bonded to the foundation walls. Air seal, use rigid foam inside the foundation, leave a termite inspection gap.

There are many sources on how to do this right. Read those. The very best energy efficiency renovations do it this way.

Vented crawls with overhead insulation are so dumb it makes my brain ache.

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