Economy Got You Down? Green Building and Radiant Heating May Provide An Unexpected Way Out…

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers is projected to increase 21 to 35 percent for all occupations through the year 2014. Annually more than 57,000 new workers are needed to accommodate the growing needs of this multi-billion dollar industry.

With recent developments within the radiant heating industry – it’s easy to learn about designing and installing radiant floor heat systems.

Even if you wouldn’t want to learn a new trade – you can get your own radiant system, reducing your energy consumption without sacrificing your comfort.

Click these links to learn more about radiant heating and how to avoid radiant heat disasters.

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.

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

Toasty Toes – Radiant Heating 101

People sure must like being cozy because we get a lot of inquiries about radiant flooring. Given the interest, we wanted to give a brief primer on the hot water (hydronic) systems that we use.

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Radiant Heating

An industry expert in radiant heat discusses design tips and guidelines for do-it-yourselfers who are considering radiant heating.

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