Radiant floor heating is a method of heating your home by applying heat underneath or within the floor.  Comparable to warming yourself in the sun, this type of heating warms objects as opposed to raising the temperature of the air.

Existing radiant heating are hydronic and electric.

Hydronic radiant floor heating is a system of plastic or metal tubes/pipes laid within a floor that carries hot water into specific rooms or “zzones”, dispersing the heat through the floor surface.  Cooler water returns to the heat source where it is reheated and sent out again in what is known as a “closed-loop system”.  The pipes can be encased in a concrete slab, a concrete or gypsum cement overpour, laid into thin grooved panels that nail on top of a subfloor, or suspended below a wooden subfloor using metal fins fastened under the floor surface.  The heat output is determined by pipe spacing, water temperature, flow rate and floor covering.

Electric radiant floor heating uses heat-conducting plastic mats containing coils warmed by electricity.  The coils are resistance wires, typically copper or nichrome, wrapped in a water resistant polymer.  Nichrome is an alloy of nickel and chromium with high electrical resistance making it ideal for producing heat.  These wires are zigzagged through a mat and then wired for electricity.  Electric radiant heat works best with ceramic tile floors, however it can be used with most types of flooring.

Typically a solar hot water system would cost around $7200.  With the new pilot program, 50 homeowners selected for the program will only pay half of the bill.

Peter Simpson of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association doubts that homeowners will be receptive to the program.  He adds that most homeowners with that kind of cash would rather spend it on something like new countertops or hardwood flooring.

We hope that you will consider applying for the program not only because it’s a great investment but it’s one that will reduce the consumption of natural resources.

If your water heater is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it before it starts leaking water due to corrosion and causing further damage to your home.

Tankless water heaters are great for new & older homes. It only heats water when needed, using a device that is activated by the flow of water when a hot water valve is opened. By delivering a constant supply of hot water, tankless water heaters can meet all your household hot water needs. It can also be used for supplementary heat, such as a booster to a solar hot water system.

Tankless water heaters are much more compact in size so it will save you some space. The size of course depends on the number of bathrooms in your house & how much hot water you will require at peak hours. However, the most important benefit is that it can shave ten to twenty percent off your heating bill by eliminating energy lost from warmed water sitting in a tank. Not only are you conserving water but energy as well. Further, they produce as little as half the greenhouse gas emissions of less efficient storage tank heaters. An interesting thought: if we all used tankless water heaters, we could keep 91 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere every year.

Lets do our part to keep our planet clean & green!