WHAT BUILDERS AND INSTALLERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HYDRONIC HEATING
Melrose, Massachusetts:
“Whether it’s baseboard, radiator, or radiant floor heating, Hydronic Heating is the most economical heating system to operate. That’s because water is the best for storage of energy. Once it’s heated, the water stays hot for a long time, even when the boiler has shut down. If low installation cost is essential, we put in baseboard or radiator heating. When the budget allows, we install radiant floor heating.
“About ten years ago a builder brought us in to install radiant floor heating for a new house in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The homeowner agreed to the installation but she said she thought the higher installation cost for radiant heat might be a waste of money. Now, ten years later, that same homeowner is having a vacation home built in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, and she told her builder she wanted us to install radiant floor heating and snow melting in the driveway there. Ten years of experience had convinced her that radiant floor heating was more than worth the cost.”
--Michael Fitzemeyer, President, Heatech Inc., Melrose, MA
Crested Butte, Colorado:
“I didn’t know about radiant floor heating before we moved to Colorado thirteen years ago. While we were building our own house, we lived in a house with radiant floor heating. That convinced me, and I put it into my own house seven years ago. I put in radiant floor heating as well as forced air for added humidity and air circulation in this very cold, dry climate here. People are aware of the benefits of Hydronic Heating in places like this with quite cold winters. The heat in hot water gives you a mass of heat that stays warm for a long time and is therefore very energy efficient. In this area, Hydronic snow melting systems are very popular for driveways and the perimeters of homes. We put in radiant snow melting in sidewalks and driveways in all the homes we build. It’s an important safety feature.”
--Scott Hargrove, Hargrove Construction, Crested Butte, CO
Fairfield, Connecticut:
“I do not have to sell Hydronic Heating to my customers. They ask me for it when we plan their house. They say their friends or relatives have it and they love it. These days, people are very conscious of the energy efficiency of Hydronics. You don’t have to heat the water as high to get very comfortable heating, and that means the boiler can run less.
“We are near the coast and we do a lot of work by the beach. Houses there have to be up off the ground and don’t have finished basements. They have crawl spaces with flood openings that have to be kept open. and that means they have cold floors. We recently put in radiant floor heating in the first floor of one of these houses and baseboard heating on the second floor. We also added spray foam insulation. The owner couldn’t be happier about his heating comfort. He has happily allowed us to bring clients there to show people how well his heating works. Once you have Hydronic Heating, you don’t go back.”
--Thor Vanderblue, owner, Thor’s Creations, Fairfield, CT
Thor Vanderblue built Hydronic Heating into his show home in Fairfield, CT: The Idea Home www.theideahome.com
The Idea Home has radiant floor Hydronic Heating built in. The home has seven Hydronic Heating zones:
Garage
Basement
Office
Mud Room
Living Room/Dining Room
Kitchen/Family Room
Media/Billiard Room