The Benefits of Engineered Flooring

While doing some browsing on Technorati, I found a very informative post about radiant flooring - particularly the Benefits of Engineered Flooring

I get a lot of questions from people about floor coverings and which kinds work best for radiant heat systems. This post offers a good explanation of what engineered flooring is and how it can benefit any project, particularly where hydronic heat is installed.

The Williams House Project | Radiant Heating & Green Building

Here’s a project I was involved with this past year - we provided a radiant heating system and a high efficiency A/C system.

The Williams House Project - follows the intent of the Green Building initiatives such as LEED and Energy Star. Here is a list of some of its incorporated Green building features:

In-floor radiant heat with a high efficiency boiler

High efficiency A/C system with multiple zones

The builder used insulated concrete forms which have a much greater -r value than typical construction. All flooring in the home has radiant heating for comfort and even heat distribution.

Using Infrared Cameras To Locate Radiant Heat Tubes

This is a really cool post on using infrared cameras to find radiant heat tubes in a concrete slab.

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Avoid A Radiant Heat Disaster

Nothing beats the comfort of a radiant heating system - ask anyone who’s ever enjoyed the many benefits of radiant heat, there’s just nothing else that compares. And it is possible for the average homeowner to install their own radiant floor system. It’s easier when you’re dealing with new construction, but existing homes can usually be retrofitted with a radiant floor heating system.

So how does one figure out what’s really important when it comes to a new radiant heating system?

Over the years, I’ve arrived at the following list of priorities:

1) Information - it’s important to get a hold of all the information you’ll need to make an informed decision.
2) Design - save yourself a lot of future headaches, have a radiant heat expert help you with your system design and tubing layout.
3) Quality Components - there’s nothing wrong with finding a good deal, but in a lot of cases you DO get what you pay for.
4) Support - If you’ve never installed your own radiant heating system before, you’ll need help - find a supplier who will be there for you when you need it most.

If you’d like to “drill-down” into this list and get a more in-depth look at how to avoid problems with your radiant heat system, click hear to avoid radiant heat disasters.

Technorati Tags: radiant heat, radiant heating, radiant floor heating, radiant floor

The greenest house in San Francisco

“Just imagine a home for a family of 5 with all the amenities one could ask for: integrated wiring, gourmet kitchen, radiant heated floors, wine cellar, and spacious rooms totaling 2600 square feet all under one 18
’ x 50’ roof that produces more electric energy from the sun than is needed, and harvests enough rain water to flush toilets, wash…”

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